Legacy Saga, Alpha: The Story of Escaflowne
by X-Calibur
Summary: The past reveals many things about the future. For instance, to know the future. One must look to the past. As destiny crossed, the future will forever be changed....I WISH I COULD HAVE FINISHED, but sadly, this fic and all others might never be complete
1. Preview

Escaflowne  
  
Preview  
  
WARNING!!! IF YOU ARE INTRESTED IN THIS FIC, AND DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED, THEN DON'T READ THIS PREVIEW, BUT IF YOU WANT A LITTLE TASTE OF WHAT IS IN IT, THEN BY ALL MEANS, READ.....  
  
History is written in the endless stars that stretches across the sky at night And in everyone, there lived conflict...there lived evils...there lived heroes....war eventually leads to   
  
peace, but which eventually leads to revolution...and in every revolution...carries in itself the seeds to its own destruction....for History repeats itself, for humanity lives to learn from the same mistakes again...and again...  
  
In a world that is unlike Earth....(we see Giaea)  
  
"Welcome to Giaea..." a slightly dark looking guy with blue eyes and black hair said to a girl with short brown hair.  
  
"-you mean to tell me that she is from the Mystic Moon?!" another guy with long blond hair said  
  
"Mystic Moon?" the same girl from before asked  
  
We see Earth and the moon hung above the sky in the night sky.  
  
In a place where only the ruthless survive(we see Guymelef's attacking people)   
  
"All forces, we are to engage Zaibach!" a small group of Guymelefs readies to fight  
  
"Hey they come!" a person in a Guymelefs shouted as he drew his sword.  
  
"Take aim!!" an army of hundreds of men pointing out long rifles at thousands of soldiers charging at them on horses and on foot.  
  
The only hope for Giaea is the ancient suit of armor....Escaflowne....  
  
"Escaflowne is the only thing that can stop them...."  
  
With added story lines.....new characters....and a connections to another fanfic that will be incredible.  
  
"I am Jayson Fanel, and this is my brother Van...."  
  
"-Hail Van, the king of Fanelia!"  
  
In a time where cruelty and corruption rules all...  
  
"The Zaibach Empire will conquer the world and beyond if we don't stop them."  
  
"-And what do you think you can do...will you stand alone against the fury of Dornkirk's armies?"  
  
"...yes,"  
  
  
  
We see armies, with some men baring banners showing a golden triangle up, assembly in front of a leader-like figure.  
  
"In the name of honor, peace, and justice. We will lead Gaiea into the future. Let no one stand in our way," the figure shouted as he raised his fist into the air, "Long live the fighters!"  
  
"HAIL!!" the army shouted with their right fists pointed at the figure.  
  
A concept...where imagination defies science....  
  
"Your dreams...your wishes....what you think....if you wish hard enough...it will happen...this machine will make it happen....that is why it's so dangerious. In the wrong hands it could destroy this world and ours."  
  
  
  
Detailed battles....  
  
We see armies collide in a large battlefield, charging blindly at each other and crashing. Above we see large floating fortresses, being attacked by large flying battleships bearing a flag with a triangle that formed by three smaller ones. On the sea, we see warships firing cannons on land troops and other sea vessels.  
  
Then, we see small fast flying war machines chase after Zaibach Guymelefs. Then we see flying battleships surrounding a huge floating fortress.  
  
A parallel storyline within the original....a new side....more action...more drama...more adventure...  
  
A suit that looks like Escaflowne hovers over an empty battlefield and another suit appears in front of him.  
  
"Since the dawn of history... there has been wars...From the moment our mankind has stood on this planet, there has been conflicts. The fight between the people became the fight between nations and we have come through thousands of years of history stained with blood. This is because it is in our instincts to fight. So....what will the forces of destiny bring to us this time...-destruction....destruction to end all! The world, our Giaea, and human subconscious, are willing their own end!! This is our fate!!"  
  
The Escaflowne-like Guymelef charges at the suit, with its pilot screaming for blood.  
  
This is a rewrite of the original Escaflowne, with new stuff and more things to expect.   
  
"...so it has begin..."  
  
READ AND ENJOY...................  
  
A mix of Escaflowne, combine with Gundam-Wing, X, Zone of the Enders, and the Legend of Zelda...comes a new storyline that is unbelievable....you would not know what to expect next. 


	2. Chapter I

Escaflowne  
  
Chapter I  
  
  
  
AN: There are things that can be linked with the events in my Gundam-Wing Fic Gundam-Soldiers, that I've wrote, with some things that happened in this Escaflowne fic. You'll see, how it all connects. This is another saga that takes place before my Gundam-Wing Series, and tells about the past of my characters in the AC timeline that exsists in my fic and where their pasts history came from. The following intro would be confusing to those that had not fully read my Gundam-Wing Series and the sequels that follows them. If you don't care, then read on. But I advise you that it would be more logical to read the present before knowing the past. Thank you for understanding, enjoy the fic.  
  
PN: This is a rewrite of the Escaflowne storyline be in mind. Most of the things that you read should have happened, but a lot of things were added and changed. One thing is for sure, the ending is as intresting as the original one. To those of you that knows Gundam-Wing, the person that speaks in the intro should be familiar to you.  
  
intro  
  
Duchess Mariemeia Khushrenada Fanel writes from her private diary.  
  
  
  
Date: December 11, After Colony 225,  
  
History is written in the endless stars of Space...and like it, there are no true beginnings...and there are no true ends....To fully understand some of the complex history of House Fanel, and its originance, we must first look into the past. Through history, through time into the legends and myths, most ancient. Decades, even centuries even before the birth of Jacen Fanel...In a World called Giaea, my husband's family orginated. In a time where, magic and legends rule across this land that is not of our world, but another. How the fate of one girl from Earth, changed the course of History in this world. How the legendary Jayson Fanel, the second prince of the kingdom of Fanelia, rose to power to defeat an empire and fell. Whom the one in which my husband's name is from, Van Fanel, and how he crossed destined paths with this girl from Earth. This is where it truly all began...  
  
The year is 1999 of the old calendar. This is a time when the skies are the limit to humanity. They have not developed Space technology for living in Space, yet. But, slowly, the World will become different in the decades to come.  
  
On the planet called Giaea, a mystical planet, that is shroud in mysteries. Where in its point of view, Earth is its next-door neighbor. But it is invisible to Earth's sight. There, is where some of Earth's famous legends and myths, have fled to and originated from.  
  
Within this Giaea, there is...war...and conflict...The evil Zaibach Empire, lead by their ruler, Dornkirk, seeks control of the world and change the destiny of all men...very few challenge their power. And those who have...died. They seek a power that will change the future...and the fate of Giaea. The freedom...future...and fate of the people of Giaea....rest solely on one person in their world....and another...from our world...  
  
  
  
Fated Events  
  
"In the Name of honor, in the face of battle, in the heart of one man, lives the soul of a warrior"  
  
Location: A Japan high school Date: Sometime around the year 2000 AD, Time: 3:16:02   
  
It was a typical afternoon at the high school. Nothing out of the ordinary ever happens here, but soon all that will change.  
  
"Goodbye," a girl said   
  
"Bye," another responded  
  
"See you later," a guy said as he walked away.  
  
It was a usual afternoon, everyone was starting to go home. At the track, they teams started practice. The team captain gets everyone to ready for the next trial.  
  
"Get set!" the captain said as he readies to start up people.  
  
Somewhere near the field, a young girl about the age of 15 was running toward the track and seem to be in a big hurry.   
  
"Hitomi, can you tell my fortune?!" a friend shouted as Hitomi passed by.  
  
"Later!" she shouted back as she dashed passed one of her friends.  
  
Back at the track, a girl, Yukari and the captain waits for Hitomi.  
  
"Geez, what the hell is she doing?" Yukari said, she sees that the boy next to her is not listening to her, "Hey Jason, are you hearing me!"  
  
"Huh? Sorry, yeah Hitomi better get here soon." Jason said  
  
Back with the running Hitomi.  
  
"Hitomi, practice has already started." Another classmate shouted as she passed her by.  
  
"I know!"  
  
Hitomi jumps over a set of stairs and makes it to the track.  
  
"Alright, next." Jason said  
  
"Hitomi... ...you're late." Yukari said, "Late...soooo late! When you're late for practice, I'm blamed because I'm the manager."  
  
"Sorry, Yukari, I had trouble finishing my report. Anyway, are the guys' time trials over yet?"  
  
"Just one more group left...and he's in it too." Jason said  
  
Hitomi watches one of the runners get set.  
  
"Amano..." She said  
  
"Get set." Jason said, "Go!"  
  
They watch the boys do their last track meet and pay close attention to Amano, the attractive star of the team. Amano finishes in under 11 seconds, to the amazement of the 2 girls, except Jason, because he's a guy, and it seems to be annoying him and he rolled his eyes.  
  
"10... 10.64...!" Yukari said and hugs Hitomi, "Hitomi, great, he's great! He's beaten eleven flat! He's awesome!"  
  
"Next, let's start the girls' time trials." Jason shouted  
  
"Okay!" someone said and the girls walk to the track. Hitomi remains there in some sort of daze.  
  
"Hitomi." Yukari pulls Hitomi's pants down revealing her running shorts. Hitomi covers herself for shock of her exposed legs.  
  
"What're you doing?"  
  
"Get going." Yukari pushes Hitomi to the starting positions.  
  
"I know." Hitomi removes her jacket and heads to the track. "Alright."  
  
Hitomi gets on the track and puts her pendant out of her shirt. She looks at Amano and Yukari, who are talking to each other. They wave back. Hitomi smiles.  
  
"Get set," Jason said  
  
They start running.  
  
"Go for it Hitomi!" Yukari said,   
  
"Go!"  
  
Hitomi starts running. She's in the lead. Suddenly she sees an armored boy in front of her. She was in such a shock that she didn't remember to slow down. She runs right through him as if he was not there at all and screams out in shock. She falls and passes out. She then wakes up into a weird dream.  
  
"What is it? It's hot. The wind's hot." she said to herself.  
  
Hitomi opens her eyes and sees three mechanical giants walking through a flaming area. She then sees some sort of storehouse. An older man walks up to the boy she saw before. There standing next to the boy was someone who looked very familiar. He seemed a lot older than the boy that she saw, and from the looks of both of them, they seem to be related.  
  
"Lord Van, are you ready?" the old guy asked  
  
"I am."  
  
"I'm sure you can kill the dragon." the other guy said, "Our brother's disgrace..."  
  
"It's alright, Jayson! I won't show my back to the enemy!"  
  
"Jason?" she said to herself, but this Jason that looked alike to her older senior cousin seemed a few years older and looks a lot different, such as he has dark brown hair instead of the Jason she knew with black hair, but the resembles are uncanny,  
  
Hitomi watches the sun set as a large bone collored giant defeats one of the other giants with a sword. She looks up at it. A tower in front of her cracks and the top falls off. She saw armies of more of these giants walking through flames that is engulfing a city. The ground beneath her collapses and she falls. A winged boy flies down and saves her. Hitomi wakes up with Amano looking over her.  
  
"Amano..." Hitomi was still confused from the dream.   
  
"You'd better stay in bed."  
  
"Thank you." Hitomi goes into a sitting position.   
  
"It was fortunate that you didn't get hurt."  
  
"Right."  
  
"Your form's getting better. It's probably because you've been training so hard since junior high."  
  
"Not really. I can't even beat thirteen seconds. I wish I could run like you."  
  
"The first step at the start...take courage, and step forward as far as you can."  
  
"Take courage...?"  
  
Amano notices her pendant. It seems to look mysical when it scattered the sunlight coming from the window. The pendent looked like a big teardrop  
  
"You have a beautiful pendant."  
  
"This thing?" Hitomi takes the pendent and shows it, "This is a memento of my grandmother. It's interesting, though. When I sway it, it keeps swinging once every second like a clock's pendulum, and it doesn't even seem to be able to stop unless you want it to."  
  
"Let me see it." She gives it to him and he starts swinging it.   
  
"One..." Hitomi started to count off.  
  
"Two...Three...Four..." Amano said, "Five...Six...Seven..."  
  
"Eight...Nine...Ten..." Both said, "Eleven...Twelve...Thirteen..."  
  
"Fourteen...Fifteen...Sixteen...Seventeen..." She was going to continue on, but Amano stopped to say something.  
  
"-Hitomi. To tell you the truth..." Amano leans towards her, "I...."  
  
Then, Yukari and Jason enters the room.  
  
"Hitomi. Your bag..." Yukari said then she and Jason stares at them shocked.  
  
Later, Yukari, Jason and Hitomi walks home together.  
  
"Yukari, Hey Yukari. Say something, Yukari." Hitomi said  
  
"Strawberry cake at Yugetsudo...Kamakuraya's cheesecake...Shonan Honpo's pancake... Jerrat Classico's peppermint ice cream...and one desert everyday. That'll be enough to forgive you."  
  
"I didn't pass out on purpose."  
  
"I wonder." Jason said, "You're thinking that something...intresting might've happened if we hadn't showed up, aren't you?"  
  
"Knock it off, Jason,"  
  
Later, as they pass under a bridge.  
  
"Hitomi..." Jason asked, "...have you ever read the future between you and Amano?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Why not?" Yukari asked  
  
"If it turns out bad..."  
  
"I see. If you love-" Yukari continued  
  
"What's wrong, Yukari?"  
  
"She's just upset as well over the news," Jason said, "I overheard a conversation between the seniors. Amano is going abroad. He may not participate in the prefecture track meet. So...so you should tell him. Otherwise, you'll regret it...You'll regret it if you don't."  
  
Later that night at Hitomi's house...  
  
"Hitomi! Hitomi," Hitomi's mom said, "The bath's ready! Hitomi?!"  
  
Hitomi is looking at the Tarot Cards.  
  
"Falling Tower, the card of distant separation. C'mon...Amano's going abroad and I can no longer see him."  
  
She looks at the Serpent Card.  
  
"Serpent Ace? Courage?!"   
  
Later, Amano is saying goodbye to his friends.  
  
"I'm sorry that I can't participate in the prefectual meet...but I'm sure you'll post good results. I'll be waiting for good news there."  
  
"Amano, make sure you write to us." Jason said  
  
"Don't forget about us." another friend said  
  
"Amano..." one said and left  
  
"Amano..." another said and also left  
  
"...Amano..." then the last left except Jason.  
  
"Well, time for me to go to my training. My classmates would be too happy if I don't show up to show off again." Jason was carrying a duffel bag with a katana sticking out of it.  
  
"That sword of yours must have cost alot." Amano said  
  
"Oh this old thing?" Jason brings it out. The sword's blade is a bit wider than typical katana blades. It was a very simple looking weapon, "This was a gift from my master as a symbol of me being one of her best students."  
  
Jason unsheaths the sword to show Amano the design on the blade. It was a serpant dragon that was engraved on the blade.  
  
"Nice design there,"  
  
"This was passed down from one warrior to another at my school's clan."  
  
"And what is the name of this clan you speak of? You never told me."  
  
"It is the Dragon clan. The current grand master is Long."  
  
"That sounds chinese."  
  
"Yes it is. The Dragon Clan is a group that involves all of the people in Asia. Most of the members of the clan are chinese and japanese, but there are a few that are from other parts of this part of the world."  
  
"Well good luck to you. Though I don't really see the gain in learning all this if you want to lead a modern life."  
  
"It's not that. I live like everyone else. But we have to keep in mind what we were, and how things were like. Concepts like honor and justice are vital to live a more moral life. Though we modernize our life styles we have to remember other things that define us."  
  
"That's sounds pretty intresting Jason, I hope that you can keep the tradition alive."   
  
"Well, I guess I'll be going."  
  
Jason leaves and Amano stands alone on the track with his suitcase in hand.  
  
"Amano!" Hitomi runs up to him, "...I, umm... I want to ask you a favor...If I can...run 100 meters before this pendant sways thirteen times...if I can punch through the thirteen second wall...I ask you to be my first kiss."  
  
Amano takes the pendant.  
  
"Don't regret it, okay."  
  
"Thank you very much! "  
  
"Hitomi, are you ready?!"  
  
"Yes, on your call..."  
  
The lights turn on. It's Yukari, who waves. Jason stops and watches from a distance.  
  
"Yukari...Jason," She gets ready to run.  
  
"Take courage and step foward. Get set!"  
  
"Take courage!"  
  
"Go!" Hitomi starts running.  
  
"Seven...Eight..."  
  
Suddenly, a light appears on the track and there's a large burst of energy. The two boys Hitomi saw before appears on the track. Hitomi runs into one of them and falls over.  
  
"Who the hell are you? Where am I?" one of the figure said. For a moment, the langauge that the boy said was jiberis, but then, the words became recognizable in Hitomi's ears as her langauge.  
  
"Hitomi!" Amano runs to her. So does Yukari and Jason.  
  
"Hitomi!"  
  
They run up to see if she's alright.  
  
"Are you alright, Hitomi? Hitomi...?" Jason asked  
  
"He's...He's the boy from my dream."  
  
"Hey you!" Amano shouted and the one that looked like Jason turned in surprised.  
  
"Allen?" the guy said to himself.  
  
"Demons begone!" the younger boy shouted in the strange tongue again, which sounded like, "Al guém qual é diabo"   
  
"That's....a form of elvish?! No...it's Gaian...Can it be...No, we're not people from the demon world." Jason shouted back in the same langauge and ran to the two, "Who are you? Identify yourselves!"  
  
Jason reached for his sword.  
  
"I'm Van of Fanelia. Is this place...Jayson!"  
  
"This is the Mystic Moon brother, be careful. When the dragon comes, I am not allowd to assist you."  
  
"I know!" Then the two sees Jason walking toward them.  
  
"You people are from the other world...Giaea...welcome to Earth...or what you people would call it, the Mystic Moon." Jason said in their tongue,   
  
"You are-" Van said  
  
"You look like me..." the other Jayson said, "how?"  
  
"Hitomi, can you understand what they're saying?" Yukari asked  
  
"It's also coming. Girl, get out of here! A dragon is coming."  
  
"Dragon...?"  
  
"Hurry! Do you want the dragon to eat you?"  
  
"Hey, you..." Amano said, but Van pushes him aside. Another bolt of energy comes from nearby.  
  
"Again,"  
  
"What? What's gonna happen..." Yukari asked Hitomi grabs her mouth. "Hitomi?"  
  
"I feel sick. I think I'm gonna puke."  
  
"It's here." Van said and a dragon appears from nearby and walks out in the open.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Hitomi..."  
  
The dragon looks at them.  
  
"Over here! I'm your opponent." Van shouted, "What's wrong?! You're hungry, aren't you?! Come and eat me!"  
  
The dragon breathes fire. Van puts up a shield and blocks it. He pulls out a crossbow and shoots the dragon in the eye. It falls over.  
  
"Did I do it?"  
  
"Careful Van. Expect the unexpected!"  
  
The Dragon swings it's tail, knocking him over. Van spit up some blood. The dragon looks at the earthlings.  
  
"Going after the easy ones first, huh? If you want to live, run! Hurry and run!"  
  
"Okay! Amano, let's go to the mountain!"  
  
Van grabs his sword and slashes at it, doing no damage. Amano and the others ran. Yukari trips and falls over.  
  
"Yukari!"  
  
"It hurts. My leg."  
  
"You twisted your ankle. Get on my back!" Amano helps her up.  
  
"Let's go!" Jason shouted and unsheathed his sword.  
  
"Okay!"  
  
They run. The Dragon sees them and heads after them.  
  
"Dammit!" Van and Jayson chases after the dragon.  
  
They run underneath a tunnel like structure. The dragon follows.  
  
"I won't let you get away!" Van shouted  
  
He grapples on to it. The Dragon runs over the tunnel.  
  
"I guess this is far enough." Amano said  
  
The Dragon jumps near them. Van falls down to the ground.  
  
"Hey, over here!" Van shouted as he gets back up.  
  
"Hitomi!" Amano shouted  
  
"Right"  
  
They run to shelter. The dragon breathes fire again. Van attacks but the Dragon knocks him over again.  
  
"My sword can't penetrate it's scales."  
  
"Will he be alright?" Jason asked  
  
Hitomi has a vision of Van being stabbed from behind by the dragon's tail.  
  
"He's... he's going to be killed!" Hitomi runs to him  
  
"Hitomi....Hitomi!" Jason ran after,  
  
She runs down the stairs. The Dragon charges Van and raises it's tail up.  
  
"Look out! Behind you!"  
  
Van jumps back and the tail tears his armor off.  
  
"Got You!"  
  
Van jumps on it's back and slides his sword down the dragon's back. He runs to the front and stabs it in the chest. Blood pours all over him. The Dragon falls over, dead. Van cuts through its chest and takes out a glowing stone. The Dragon crumbles into dust and it's blood disappears.  
  
"Umm...are you alright?" Hitomi asked  
  
"This wasn't so serious that I need help from a woman. Do you want thanks? If so, then come to my castle, but don't be conceited. I'll repay you for involving you in the dragon hunt. It doesn't mean that I defeated the dragon due to your help."  
  
Hitomi slaps him.  
  
"What's the matter with you?! I thought you were gonna get killed...I thought you were gonna get killed...so...I was scared so scared! Why don't you say thanks or something? I shouldn't have saved a guy like you! You shouldn've been eaten by that dragon!"  
  
Hitomi starts crying. Then, the stone starts glowing.  
  
"The Energist..." Jayson said  
  
"An energist?" Jason said and looks up and then down onto Hitomi, "Hitomi get away from there!"  
  
The ground lights up underneath them.  
  
"Whats that?" Amano said  
  
A pillar of light appears bringing Van, Jayson, and Hitomi up. Amano runs up to it.  
  
"Hitomi! Hitomi!"  
  
"Amano my hand!" but when Amano reaches out only the pendent flies up and he was unable to reach her. "Amano!"  
  
"Hitomi!" Jason shouted and jumps up at the light and also gets engulfed by it.  
  
"Jason!" Amano shouted but Jason disappeared into the light.  
  
"Hitomi?! Jason?! They're all gone." Amano said  
  
"Hitomi? Jason?"  
  
The pillar of light deposits them in the woods. Van looks around him and notices Hitomi.  
  
"We're safe." Van said and looks over to his brother, "Jayson you alright?"  
  
Jayson gets up and helps Hitomi up as well.  
  
"Man, you better watch that first step..." Van looks closer to see that Jayson looked a lot different.  
  
"Jayson, your face."  
  
"What's wrong Van?" Jacen got up.  
  
Jayson and the Earth Jason had fused together. They are now this combo version of both. Jayson now has black hair and blue eyes. Hitomi looks up and sees the new Jayson.  
  
"You're..." she looks up to see the Earth and the moon. "Earth...why...? Why can I see the Earth?"  
  
"We're near the village of Urthas." Jayson said, "If the locals have seen us, they'll be here soon."  
  
"Urthas...?" She hears growling. A group of standing wolves surround them. "Distant seperation and Serpent Ace...I realized the true meaning. A mysterious place where Earth and Moon appear in the sky...Giaea...that's this planet's name."  
  
"Welcome to Gaea, Hitomi." Jayson said. He knows her name now with the combined memories of his original self and his Earth counterpart. "A place where legends are made of."  
  
"We're surrounded." Van said, but Jayson remained calm  
  
The leader notices who they are. Van and Jayson smiles.   
  
Later they ride on a wagon pulld by a yak.  
  
"Y...you two went to the Mystic Moon? So, that girl is..." the wolfman said  
  
"Yeah, she's a resident of the Mystic Moon.?" Jayson said  
  
"Whadda ya know..."  
  
"Umm, what is the Mystic Moon?" Hitomi asked  
  
Jayson smiles and then turns to her, then points up at the sky where the Earth and the moon is.   
  
"It's that blue moon where you and my other half came from." Jayson said, "Your friend is within me and I know almost everyhing about the Earth, because of him."  
  
"You...Jason...where is he?"  
  
"I am Jason in my heart....When he jumped into that column of light, he and I fused together and now I am the combination of the two, though most of me remains on the surface. I am speaking as both. I can't really explain it, but I'll find a way of changing us back."  
  
"I see. Mystic Moon.......(gasp)" Hitomi has a vision of people being killed in a town street by metal claws.  
  
"What's wrong?" Van asked  
  
"N...nothing."  
  
"The Mystic Moon shines brighter than usual these days." The wolf man said  
  
Later, they reach a city, it is now daylight.  
  
"Eh...? Van and Jayson has returned?!" a gate guard shouted. "Open the gate!"  
  
The yak heads through the gate. Everyone is around, cheering. Van jumps off the yak.  
  
"Lord Van!" a girl shouted and runs through the crowd and jumps to hug Van.  
  
"Merle!" Van shouted and accepts the hug  
  
"What! no welcome hug for me?" Jayson asked sarcasticly.  
  
"S...stop it, Merle. Everyone's watching."  
  
"But I'm so glad."  
  
"Stop it, Merle. You're making a scene."  
  
"First wolfmen, now a catgirl." Hitomi said  
  
"Yeah, Giaea is a very intresting place...you'll find some of Earth's greatest myths and legends from here." Jayson said as he walked up to Hitomi.  
  
"Lord Van! Lord Van!" someone called out, A group of tough looking men step out from the crowd. Merle backs off, "Lord Van..."  
  
Van holds the energist in his hands and lifts it up above his head.  
  
"I, Van Fanel, third prince of Fanelia has finished hunting the dragon under the witness of my brother, and returned with a Dragu-Energist."  
  
"That stone is undoubtedly..." one of the four men said  
  
"...a Dragu-Energist." another one said. The 4 men bow.  
  
"The four leaders of the Fanelia Samurai confirm it." Jayson said, "Congratulation my brother, or maybe I should start calling you my king."   
  
"Thank you, everyone." Van said  
  
"He's a prince?" Hitomi said in her head.  
  
Later, men prepare for an event in guymelefs. Guymelefs are huge giant suits, about twenty feet in height typically. They are mostly made of melted stones, a form of ceramic, and metal gears. Only a few of Fanelia's high honor guards such as Jayson's small unit of six suits is nearly completely made of metal. A new type of guymelef technology. Jayson's melef is called, Excalibur. It is an Ispano type and is black and silver in color. Its equipment is a long sword and a small shield on its left arm. It has two holes at the bottom of its backpack, what its for is unknown. It also has arm guards and on each have three small holes that seem to hide hidden secret weapons. And to top it off, it has a long black cape. Under the cape appears to be dragon wings.  
  
Other Melefs of Fanelia's small army is the following: Azrael, a dark blue colored melef with two long curved swords. Instead of a long cape. It has two long fins on the back and also a small backpack looking device with two holes at the bottom of it. Every one of Jayson's forces' suits has one of these devices. They are yet to be tested in true battle. On its forearms it has arm guards with two holes on each that launches giant metal arrows at opononents, and on its sides it has reloads for them. This suit is piloted by Jayson's second in command, Kyle.  
  
Another one is called, Narita. It is dull white and blue color, but on special ocasions, the pilot polishes it and it shines its color brightly. It has two short jagged blades, but the blades can unfold into fans and a jagged blade on each segment of the fans. It also has claws that it can pop out to replace the blade fans. Also, instead of a cape, it has from the back of its head down to the top of the legs is a long piece of brown fur, that seems to resemble hair if seen at a distance. This suit is piloted by the one called Alexandra.  
  
Another suit is the Dragoon. It is green and its head it suppose to resemble the head of a dragon. It has a tritan. The tritan is built for more than just stabbing. The outer horns are one edged blades, which is ment for slicing as well as stabbing. Its left arm has a huge claw-like weapon, which is attached to the arm, it is attached to a long extension of the arm that is fed from the shoulder. It can launch this spring loaded weapon at an enemy melef and impales an enemy whole from the torso area or any part of of the body and simplely crush its opononents. This one is piloted by Darson.  
  
The fourth one is called Seth. Its only weapon is a huge, long hammer and a shield attached to each forearm. It has huge shouulder pads and knee pads. Which increases its defense, but even so, its attacks can be swift and deadly. It also has a large cannon looking weapon hanging on its back. It is most likely a primative cannon. It fires its shots semi-automaticly, and after one shot, a new shell drops down from the clip that is attach to it. It can fire up to nine shells and then that is all it can use, and it has only two extra clips.This one is piloted by Rayner.  
  
The fifth one is called, Palidan. It had a huge whip like weapon attached to its left arm, but the whip seems to be divided into small sections, and each looked like dragon scales, and it neither resembles the usual cable like whip. This whip can also be heated and the result will be that is can cut through enemy armor more effectively this way. The whip can be retracted and stored by rolling into a coil around its left shoulder and then can be launched out to stab enemies. It also has a huge, long and wide bladed sword. This one is piloted by Lance.  
  
The sixth suit is called the Dracos. It has an axe-sword like weapon as its main weapon and many smaller axes that he uses to throw at enemies, which are stored in his back. This one is piloted by Marcus.  
  
A Samurai walks around in his old melef.  
  
"This feeling...I like the Melef. There's been no war lately, so it's been a while since we were equipped like this." He gets out of the cockpit. "I can't wait for the match before the coronation."  
  
"Boss, an old man like you shouldn't push yourself too hard." an assistent said  
  
"Right," the Samuri walks up to Kyle, "You ready to get beaten, Kyle? You might have an fancy Melef, but do you have the skills?"  
  
Kyle turned around and smiled.  
  
"We'll just have to see."  
  
Meanwhile, Hitomi gets dressed in a room nearby. She opens the window and leans on the window sill.  
  
"What am I doing ?" She has a flashback of back on earth  
  
Flashback  
  
"Hitomi! Hitomi," Yukari said, "Keiko wants you to read the tarot, and is looking for you. Hitomi."  
  
End of Flashback  
  
Hitomi looks at her pendant.  
  
"Amano..." Suddenly, Merle comes in. Hitomi falls off her chair. "Hey, watch where you come in! W...what?"  
  
"Don't be too familiar. Don't get too close to Lord Van. I don't want a foreigner like you taking liberties with him."  
  
"No, of course I won't." Merle starts going through Hitomi's stuff. "Hey! Hey, stop that!"  
  
Merle notices Hitomi's pendant and grabs it.  
  
"Hey, beautiful stone...I think I'll keep this." Merle runs out. Hitomi chases her.  
  
"Hey! Give that back! Damn cat burglar! Don't underestimate an athlete! Come back here!"  
  
She runs by a room with Van inside and stops. Inside, Van is having a sword fight with Jayson and Balgus watches. Van tried to slash at Jayson's face, but was quickly blocked. This made Van agitated and mad.  
  
"Never submit to anger, Van," and readies to defend another attack  
  
Van charges, and makes a stab at Jayson's face, but was blocked easily and his sword was quickly deflected off his hand, and it went flying and landed on the other side of the room. Van's sword stabds into the wodden floor of the dojo.  
  
"You didn't charged aggressively enough, Lord Van." Balgus said, "Attack him as if you are trying to kill him."  
  
"You need to concentrate more." Jayson said, "Feel, don't think. Let your heart guide you in the right direction."  
  
"...I guess I'm not in the mood to fight today."  
  
"Heh, not in the mood are you," Jayson said in a tone that is angered and sarcastic all at once, "Mood is a thing for class and for women, little brother. Mood is not for fighting, especially when piloting a melef. Sometimes I wish I did not give up my birthright as heir to the throne and train you to become a powerful king, in both the battlefield with a sword and as a politicians. To become a great king, you must have four things. The mind, the body, the soul, and the heart. One is not without the other."  
  
"I've heard this lesson before Jayson."  
  
"Lord Van, you're going to be the King of Fanelia..I want you to get rid of your timidness."  
  
"I'm not going to be the King because I want to."  
  
"Lord Van."  
  
"Hey, didn't you say it yourself that you will succeed over father and even take my place as well...or was that just spur of the moment talk?"  
  
But before Jayson continued he noticed Hitomi.  
  
"We seem to have a guest." Jayson said as he put his sword away.  
  
"I didn't mean to peep."  
  
"Oh, it's you." Van said, Merle pops up behind her  
  
"That's why I don't like strangers, because they don't know etiquette." Merle said  
  
"Hey, you! Where's my pendant ?" Merle throws it back at her. "You brat..."  
  
Merle runs in the room and hugs Van."Lord Van!"  
  
Balgas walks up to Hitomi.  
  
"I heard the story. You saved Lord Van. As soon as the coronation's over, we'll do our best to find a way back to the Mystic Moon."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"A samurai of Fanelia never lies." Hitomi smiles a bit and met Jayson's gaze at her and she sees a little part of the Jason she knew back on Earth.  
  
"I just hope by that time, I am able to find a way to seperate me from your friend."  
  
"Am I...able to talk to him?"  
  
"Well, yes you can, but it will appear that I have multiple personality disorder, but..." Jayson closed his eyes and then opened them and they were brown like the ones Jason had,   
  
"Well, that was...intresting," Jason said  
  
"Are you alright?" Hitomi asked  
  
"Yeah, never been better," Jason looks outside a bit, "I think we should start the ceremony."  
  
Meanwhile, at the city gates. A guard stops his pacing and thought her saw something flickering in the distance.  
  
"Stop, stop. It's strange. I thought I saw something...but I might be mistaken."  
  
There's a strange object in the woods. A camera is coming out of the top of it. It and several others like it flickers in and out of visablity.  
  
Later in the day, crowds of people try to watch the ceremony. Merle tries to see through the crowd.  
  
"I wanted to see how great Lord Van looks."   
  
Van is then presented with the royal sword. A high priest gives it to him. The priest pulls the sword out a little, exposing the family seal.   
  
"King of Fanelia, Van Fanel. I present this sword to you as a symbol of kingship."   
  
Later, at a tower near the edge of town...  
  
"I'm looking forward to the festival tonight." a guard said  
  
"Are you going to ask her to go out?"  
  
"Of course." then he sees something in the horizon. "a shimmer...? What is that?! Hey Darson, go check it out!"  
  
The Dragos moved forward for a closer look.  
  
"There's nothin here..."  
  
Suddenly, a arm appears out of thin air and shoots them with some sort of metal claw, barely missing Darson, who jumps back into the city. The arm then slices through the wall. and vanishes. Footsteps start heading to the city.  
  
"Those can't be what I think they are!" Darson said to himself, and retreats, because he couldn't see anything, but foot inprints.  
  
"What's happening ?!" a soldier asked  
  
"What...?! What's coming?!" a bystander shouted. He is stepped on by the invisible things in front of them.  
  
"A...demon...?!" a soldiers said  
  
Meanwhile, back at the temple.  
  
"Hey, what's that?"  
  
"It's smoking over there."  
  
"A fire...?"  
  
A troop rides up on a horse.  
  
"An attack! It's an attack! Women and children, escape to the mountains in the back! All men, prepare for battle! Let me through!"  
  
"Invisible enemy...?!" Balgas said  
  
"Invisible?" Jayson said as he looks out at the fire."That sounds very familiar."  
  
"Stop the enemy with your Melefs. Luva, Asona, Yurizen, Jayson go and protect Lord Van...I'm counting on you all."  
  
"Yes, sir!" All said  
  
"Come on Van to the temple, I'll get in my guymelef." Jayson said  
  
"Lord Van!" Balgus shouted, "If the worst happens, please escape with Escaflowne."  
  
"Escaflowne?"  
  
"Escaflowne? But that thing hasn't been used since the last great war." Jayson said, and rans toward the Melef hanger where is comrades were. "Everyone ready?"  
  
"Yes," Kyle said and draws his two swords.  
  
"Ready when you are Jayson," Alex said as she draws her sword.  
  
"Alright, let's move out!" Jayson's team moved in front of the castle and readies to fight, while he goes into the temple to wait on Van.  
  
Atthe battlefield, the invisable giants took out many troops.  
  
"You coward! Show yourself ! Where...where are you?! How dare you...?!" Kyle shouted and attacks blindly with some suits following, but one was knocked out down from behind, "Attack from behind! How cowardly!"  
  
Kyle turns around and deflects some shots from the invisable enemies. He was then backed up by lance mates. Another samurai charges and dies from an attack. Balgas, watching, takes out a large sword. Jayson jumps out and swings blindly at where an enemy was, but missed.  
  
"Damn it, I hate these things! Why are they here!?" Jayson shouted as he spun around to block a shot of metal things. "Are they after Escaflowne?"  
  
Meanwhile, in the temple, Van and Hitomi stand. Van cuts his finger on his sword and lets blood go into the energist. He holds it up.  
  
"I am the new King of Fanelia, Van Fanel! With my blood, I'm willing to make a bond with you, Escaflowne. Sleeping dragon, awaken!"  
  
The room lights up, and a rock above him cracks, revealing a Guymelef.  
  
"That's the one from my dream..." Hitomi said  
  
The Guymelef falls to the ground. Van places the energist in a jewel on its chest. The cockpit opens and he gets in.  
  
"Good." Van said  
  
"Hey! What're you going to do ?!"  
  
"I'm gonna fight in Escaflowne." He gets ready to go. "Alright. It's the same as that ancient book described it. I can pilot it."  
  
"That's Escaflowne..."  
  
"What're you doing?! Hide yourself now!" Then, one of the invisible enemies enters the shrine."There you are."  
  
Van starts walking in Escaflowne and draws his sword. Then sword then extends to its full length.  
  
"Where...? Where is it?" She closed her eyes and concentrated, then saw where it is."Van, to your left!"  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Look out!"  
  
Van is shot at with metal claws, but knocks them out of the way and chops them apart. Jayson enters the temple as well.  
  
"You can't escape!" Van swipes at the enemy, revealing it to be a Guymelef. "A Guymelef...!"  
  
"That's the other giant from my dream."  
  
The Guymelef forms a sword with its liquid metal weapon. Van swipes off it's entire arm. Hitomi notices another behind him. The thing forms a word and was about to attack Van. But he was too busy with the one in front of him.  
  
"Van, behind you!" Balgas arrives and chops off the Guymelef's arm.   
  
Then, from the forearms of Jayson's suit, he fired the same metal claws from the holes at the enemies. He impales one and throws him out of the temple.  
  
"Balgus! Jayson!" Jayson ran toward the one in front of Van with full force and knocks it through a wall.  
  
"Lord Van, escape with the girl now!"  
  
"I won't show my back to the enemy!"  
  
"Van, Go!" Jayson shouted as he and friend fend off more enemies.  
  
Van attacks another one, then blocks its attack. The second Guymelef swipes at him, but Balgas blocks it. Jayson then formed blades from his claw weapons and parried with his enemies. Then lobs off one of his opononent's arm and swipe another in the head.  
  
Balgas knocks it over and stabs the cockpit with his sword. Van knocks over the enemy and picks up Hitomi.  
  
"Let's go! Hang on!" Van heads outside and sees the whole city burning.  
  
"It's over, Balgas! Withdraw!" Jayson shouted out, "We need to escape!"  
  
"You go, protect your brother! Your king!"  
  
"Watch out, Balgas!" Hitomi sees another Guymelef shoots at Balgas and kills him. He falls to the ground.  
  
"Balgas!" Van shouted  
  
"Balgas!" Hitomi shouted as well.  
  
"Bastards!!" Jayson charged and knocked over an enemy.  
  
Van goes to Balgus and picks him up.  
  
"Lord Van...get out of here with Escaflowne...And someday, revive Fanelia...the people of Fanelia..." and he dies.  
  
"Balgas!" Van holds his master in his giant hands.  
  
Another group of Guymelefs surround Van.  
  
"No...No...No!" Hitomi's pendant glows strangely and a pillar of light envelops Escaflowne.   
  
"Van!" Jayson shouted and then retreats with his forces, plowing through the enemy guymelefs. "Everyone let's move! We might not be able to save this country, but...as long as one of us still breathes, we will get them back for this!"  
  
The survivors on the mountain range watches the kingdom burn.  
  
"Lord Van... Lord Van!" Merle shouted but he couldn't hear her.  
  
To Be Continued......  
  
Foreword: Any questions, ask me the author of this fic, my email is Excailibur01@aol.com. feel free, and ask about anything in my fic. 


	3. Chapter II

Escaflowne  
  
Chapter II  
  
intro  
  
Was it a dream...or an illusion? Fanelia was burning. While choked by the heat...We were surrounded by the light again and taken into the sky. Yes, this is Gaea...a mysterious world where Earth and Moon appear in the sky.  
  
In another odd vision-like sequence, Hitomi and Escaflowne go through a portal. The pillar of light appears once more, in a wooded area. A man with glasses watches.  
  
Knights of the Old Code  
  
"Out of honor do you earn the right to be known as samurai"  
  
Van is near Escaflowne in the woods, by himself.  
  
"From the position of the stars, I'm sure this is a forest near the edges of the Asturian border, but was the girl taken back to the Mystic Moon...or...is she still here somewhere?"  
  
Hitomi meanwhile, sits by herself elsewhere in the woods.  
  
"What should I do? I'm alone in a place like this." Hitomi holds out her pendant. "Please... tell me which direction I should go."  
  
Two eyes glow in the darkness behind. A fat glassed man grabs Hitomi and knocks her to the ground. Hitomi screams.  
  
"It's her, she's in trouble!" Van runs toward the sound.  
  
The strange man tries to take Hitomi's pendant.  
  
"Mom! Help! No! "  
  
An owl flies in from the nearby shore and pecks at his face.  
  
"Stop! Stop! Damn you, damn you, damn you, damn you!" The owl's owner, a man with long blond hair shows up.  
  
"It's you again.You weren't satisfied with stealing, now you attack a powerless woman. Unforgivible!"  
  
"A...Allen..."  
  
"Take your punishment!" Allen punches him, knocking him out. Allen walks up to Hitomi.  
  
Hitomi sees Allen's face turn into Amano's, since they look so similar.  
  
"Here, Hitomi," She sees Amano, but it is Allen, who looks like Amano.  
  
"Amano, I was so scared. Amano..." She passes out.  
  
"Hey! You!" Van approaches and grabs his sword. "You, what did you do to that girl?!"  
  
Allen stands up with Hitomi in his arms.  
  
"It's not wise to get so excited."  
  
Van starts pulling out his sword.  
  
"Don't draw! If you draw, you'll get yourself killed!"  
  
"Say what?!"  
  
"I am Allen Schezar, a knight of Caeli. A knight answers a sword with sword. I don't draw for play."  
  
Van draws his sword.  
  
"How foolish..."  
  
Allen puts Hitomi down and draws his sword. Van charges at him. Allen dodges then jumps over Van. When he landed, he was right behind him. Van attacks again but misses.  
  
"You have good aptitude. However..." Allen hits Van in the stomach and knocks him out, "You didn't charge aggressively enough enough...You're too good to be killed, so I hit you with the back of my sword...Hmmm, What should I do with these two?"  
  
Then, a shadow looking person in a dark cloak appeared from the woods, and spoked in a dark voice.  
  
"You better let me take care of them...Allen Schezar..." the cloaked person said and drew a sword. The blade was that of a katana, but it was slightly wider, and along the sides of the blade was a design of a serpan dragon.  
  
"Are you challenging me?" Allen asked,  
  
"If you won't let them go...Then I'll just have to take them...now draw...I won't attack unless you draw your sword..."  
  
"...An honorable man you are....Alright then, since I have nothing else better to do...your challenge is accepted then...I hope you know who you are dealing with..."  
  
"But do you know who you are dealing with?" the cloaked on asked  
  
Allen draws his sword again and readies to attack. The cloaked figure charged at him with full force that took Allen by surprise and he quickly blocked it. Sparks seem to fly as their blades grind together.  
  
"You're good, you are not like this one here," Allen knocks the figure back and slashes from above, but missed when the figured dodged the attack completely and then dashed passed him and tore a line on Allen's shoulder pad, "You technique is very familiar."  
  
The clocked person took a step back,  
  
"I was trained by the best," he said, "You should know one of them, Allen...Balgus was his name wasn't it?"  
  
"You..." Allen lost his concentration from what the figure said and the cloaked one knocked his sword from his hand and kicked him against a tree and ran up to him and stabbed his sword into the tree, which was the only thing tha stopped the sword from cutting his throat, "I've never been beaten like this before. If you intend to kill me, let me see your face. So I would know who I was defeated by...."  
  
The figure started to chuckle and then bursted into laughter, and his voiced changed as well.  
  
"Ha, ha, ha, Oh Allen, you should see the look on your face. It was priceless!" the figure pulled down his hood and it revealed to be,  
  
"Jayson?"  
  
"It's been a long time old friend, seven years is it not?"  
  
"I figure these two are important to you..."  
  
"This boy is my brother, Van. Fanelia's new king, we had to flee from death when it was attacked. I'll tell you the rest later, let's go."  
  
Meanwhile, a gigantic floating fortress passes over the burned remains of Fanelia. A group of boys around 15, dressed in blue armor kneel before their leader, a boy around their age, but dressed in red.  
  
"Eight Alseideses...against those boorish knights? Five were seriously damaged? Three are completely unusable!?"  
  
Two of the boys kneel and apologize.  
  
"W...we apologize, sir!" both said   
  
"Step foward!" He slaps them, "How pathetic, despite having the Stealth Cloak. Do you wish to disgrace my name?"  
  
"We're very sorry!" the two said in unison again.  
  
"I won't repeat this again. The Dragon Slayers don't need any incompetents. Do you understand?"  
  
"Sir!"  
  
The boy leaves, and talks to a blue haired man wearing a cloak.  
  
"Dilandau, you didn't have to burn Fanelia. I want you to use the Stealth Cloak more effectively."  
  
"I didn't expect you to say such things...You betrayed Fanelia, Folken." They enter a circular room with three stands in the center. "I've no reason to listen to advice about battle from an amateur like you."  
  
"-Amateur...You're too blunt." Another figure enters the room, "Dilandou..."  
  
"Oh it's you. I didn't realize that Lord Dornkirk would send one of his elite to help out. I think I should be honored." Dilandou said in a sarcastic way as the new guy stepped into the room. He had short blond hair and a red bandana tied around his head. His most distinct feature were the pointed ears he had. He wears a short sword at his right hip, meaning that he was left handed. His eyes were blood red, just like Dilandou's,   
  
"Hmp, sardistic idiots like yourself are the causes for unwanted conflicts, and problems." the guy said. This got Dilandou really piss.  
  
"What did you say?!"   
  
"Oh, did I hurt your feelings...you going to go crying to you mommy now." then Dilnadou drew his sword with lightning speed and charged at the guy, but he qickly drew his own sword and block it. "Sorry Dilandou, try again."  
  
The guy knocked Dilandou onto the group and points his sword at his neck.  
  
"Damn you..." Dilandou shouted, "You elves are all the same. Thinking that you're better than everyone."  
  
"No...I'm not better than everyone...but this should prove that you are not better than everyone..." the elf said and sheaths his sword.  
  
"Erg..." Dilandou picks up his sword and turns to Folken, "So anyway...What's this room for?"  
  
"This is your first time, isn't it?" Folken said as he messes around with a device.  
  
The face of an old man appears on the screen in front of them. The elf bow his head in respect to the old man, and Dilandou quickly sees who he was looking at.  
  
"L...Lord Dornkirk...!" Dilanou quickly got to his knees.  
  
"Folken," Dornkirk said, "the shadow of the dragon that falls upon the Zaibach Empire hasn't disappeared. The dragon escaped Fanelia. Capture it no matter what."  
  
"Yes, sir. As you wish, Lord Dornkirk."  
  
"One more thing..."  
  
We see a view of an industrialized, cloudy city and close in on a large building. Inside, Dornkirk sits attached to a large machine.  
  
"My Destiny Predictor didn't expect the column of light to appear...but I sense a shift of power in it. Get rid of the uncertain elements. The dragon is within the border of Asturia. Capture the dragon to revive the legendary power of Atlantis."  
  
Hitomi awakens with Amano sitting next to her.  
  
"Amano?"  
  
"You're awake? You lost consciousness while running."  
  
"I was having this strange dream."  
  
"Oh yeah?"  
  
"It was a scary dream so sad. I dreamt I never see you again."  
  
"Don't worry, I'll always be with you."  
  
"Amano..."  
  
Hitomi wakes up from her dream with Allen looking over her.  
  
"You're awake?" Allen said   
  
"Umm..." As she focuses her vision, she realized that she was still not at home.  
  
"ooooo, the pretty girl has awaken," a guy from the other side of the table said.  
  
"Hi, cutie. Did ya sleep well?" another guy said  
  
"Hey, stop that. She's frightened. Your faces are too ugly to wake up to."  
  
"You're mean, boss."   
  
"Don't confuse me with Pyle."  
  
"Jerk."  
  
They laugh. Hitomi gets up and looks at the sky.  
  
"I haven't returned. I'm not on Earth. " Hitomi kneels and buries her face in her arms. "Amano...Yukari...Mom...Jason...."  
  
"What's happened to you? You can tell me if you don't mind? As a knight of Asturia...Allen Schezar. You're our guest in this fort. To protect you as the owner of this fort...as a knight...no, as a man, I must do it."  
  
"Allen..."  
  
"Man, how could he say a line like that without blushing?" someone said   
  
"That's usual for him," Jayson said as he enters the room, "Hey, you alright?"  
  
"Jayson?"  
  
Two more men come in, with Van.  
  
"Boss, the brat's regained consciousness." one of the to said  
  
"Bring him in."  
  
They push him in.  
  
"Van?!" Hitomi said  
  
Allen smiles, Van gives him a dirty look. Later, they talk outside the fort.  
  
"Mystic Moon? Are you saying she's from the Mystic Moon? She's a resident of the Mystic Moon?"  
  
"That's right, as I said earlier."  
  
"I see." Allen holds up Van's sword. "Well, if the King of Fanelia says so...Then I must believe it. What's your name miss?"  
  
"...Hitomi...Hitomi Kanzaki ."  
  
"Hitomi...cute name."  
  
"Allen, I apologize for entering your country without notice...So, Escaflowne...please give my Guymelef back to me."  
  
"And what are you planning going to do with your Guymelef?"  
  
"I'll return to Fanelia. We were attacked by an unknown enemy, and during the battle I was taken to this place."  
  
"It's a waste of time, brother," Jayson said as he enters with a somber expression on his face,  
  
"Say what?!" Then Jayson's face became a grim and serious one.  
  
"Fanelia has been completely destroyed, it was burnt to the ground. Nothing was left." Van and Hitomi are shocked.  
  
"Th...that can't be. You're lying!"  
  
"Why would I, your brother, lie to you. I went back myself and saw only burnt down structures....nothing was left standing tall." Images of Fanelia burning flood through Van's mind. He could not believe it. His kingdom...his home...all destroyed.  
  
"What happened? If you tell me, I might be able to help you." Allen said  
  
"Van." Hitomi said  
  
"...Fanelia was destroyed..." Van said  
  
The place starts shaking.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
The floating fortress from earlier nears the fort.  
  
"A Zaibach Empire floating fortress....." Allen explained  
  
Multiple Guymelefs exit the fortress.  
  
"Zaibach's Guymelefs are coming down!" Jayson said  
  
"Those are......the giants that attacked Fanelia." Hitomi said  
  
Outside the fort stands the Guymelefs. Inside, Dilandau and his Dragonslayers are lined up in front of Allen.  
  
"We request that tou help replensih our supplies," Dalandou said, "This is an emergency mobilization."   
  
"I'll do the best I can." Allen said  
  
Hitomi tries to seeas she pushes through the crowd.  
  
"Just a little, please."  
  
"Damn, keep this a secret from the boss." the one called Gadess said. Van pushes his way through to the front of the crowd.  
  
"H...hey!"  
  
"You..."  
  
Allen notices. Van has a dirty look on his face.  
  
"By the way, Allen...have you seen a strange Guymelef around here?" Dilandou was interruptted by Jayson who enters.  
  
"No, we haven't." Jayson said as he walks from behind Allen. "Does this...strange Guymelef have something to do with the mobilization of a floating fortress? It seems a bit much...just for a single Guymelef."  
  
"...More or less." Dilandou quickly realizes who was talking to him. "...You are Jayson if I'm not mistaken...why is a famous royal knight like yourself doing out here in the middle of nowhere?"  
  
Here in Asturia, Jayson is not known as a prince of Fanelia, but as an elite knight of Asturia. He is very famous, and his skills backs up the rumors about him.  
  
"I'm just here visiting my friend, Allen...I heard that Fanelia, in the west, was attacked. Its captial was destroyed. Have you heard of anything about it...Dilandou?" Jayson said in an almost accusing manner.  
  
"That poor, small country? They must have been destroyed by the dragons that wander around that valley. It's a proper ending for a poor country like that. Anyway, it's a country of cowards, and their king's disappeared. I don't care what happened to it."   
  
Jayson narrowed his eyes a bit and showed no emotions, but inside, he wanted to tear Dilandou limb from limb. Then a voice interruptted him from saying more.  
  
"-Cowards are the ones who don't show themselves in battle." Van said attracting Dalandou's attention.  
  
Dilandau walks up to Van, then pushes him aside and looks at Hitomi.  
  
"I've never seen such strange clothes like yours. Where are you from?" Allen walks up to them before Dilandou asks more questions.  
  
"-She's my girl." Allen said, "I found her in the east...Her name is Hitomi."  
  
Allen kisses Hitomi on the cheek. Van and Dilandau gave odd looks. Jayson raised an eyebrow.  
  
"That's all, Dilandau."   
  
"Heh, You're just like the rumors say, Allen Schezar...Proceed with the resupply."  
  
Dilandou and his entourage leaves. Everyone was surprised at what they just saw.  
  
"They're shocked." Reeden said  
  
"Once they see the boss doing it..." Kio said  
  
"We're shocked even though we're used to seeing it." Teo said  
  
"We've escaped the danger for now. Bad rumors about you might be spread in the Zaibach Empire. Gadess, Jayson, come to my room later."  
  
"Sir."  
  
"Right,"  
  
Allen leaves. Hitomi touches her cheek. She had a weird feeling from it.   
  
"Is he...Is he the one...?" Hitomi sees Allen grow wings out of his back. The vision fades.  
  
Meanwhile, on the Floating Fortress, Vione.  
  
"They'll show their tails soon." Dalandou said to a soldier, "You don't have to rush."  
  
"Aye, sir. Scout squad's in position."  
  
"Good. Prepare for battle."  
  
"Aye."  
  
"Allen Schezar, your luck ran out once I marked you."  
  
A Guymelef hides in the nearby woods and spies on the fort.   
  
Meanwhile, Hitomi and Van sit in the fort.  
  
"Allen..." She looks at Van, who isn't looking very happy. "Van..."  
  
Hitomi remembers something and reaches inside her shirt for her Tarot Cards and takes them out.  
  
"I still have them. Van, don't be depressed. Cheer up."  
  
She starts putting out Tarot Cards.  
  
"See? It's L ' ELEMITA. This card says you should stay put."  
  
"What are those?"  
  
"Tarot Cards. I can read your future with these."  
  
"How could those things tell my future?"  
  
"I was trying to help you relax. You're so tense." She takes out the next card, the Death Card."The Death card...?"  
  
The Grim reaper flies out of the card at her. It flies around her then evaporates into flames. Hitomi sees a group of Guymelefs attacking the fort and sees Dilandau's face, with him laughing. Van grabs Hitomi and snaps her out of it.  
  
"Hitomi!"  
  
"V...Van."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
He hears something.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Stay back."  
  
A shovel shatters through the floor and the strange man from earlier pops his head up.  
  
"Oh, is this the wrong room?"  
  
"You're the pervert from yesterday."  
  
"Pervert?"  
  
Presumably later, Allen is told by Gadess...  
  
"What? They're gone...?" Allen said  
  
"Typical, so stubborn," Jayson said  
  
"Yes. I have no idea where they are."  
  
"I do. Hey, get Scherezade ready."  
  
Meanwhile, underground, Hitomi, Van, and Mole walked in the tunnels Mole made.  
  
"I'm just a petty thief. I was captured in this fort recently. But you know, I'm a mole. So, I dug a hole to go out for a walk. On the way, I saw the beautiful stone that you have..."  
  
"That's why you attacked me?"  
  
"To apologize, I brought your bag. It was brought from Fanelia..."  
  
They reach the Guymelef Hangar.  
  
"This is the hangar for the Guymelefs,"  
  
They reach Escaflowne.  
  
"Yes, that's a magnificent Guymelef. Was it made by the Ispano?"  
  
"What are you going to do?" Hitomi asked  
  
"I'm getting out of here and returning to Fanelia." Van puts his hand on Escaflowne's energist and the cockpit opens up. Then, he climbs into Escaflowne and starts to move it.  
  
"Stop, Van! You should listen to what Allen says!"  
  
Escaflowne gets up and starts walking.  
  
"Van! Stop!" But the stubborn boy won't listen to her.  
  
However, the door out of the hangar opens. There stands Jayson's guymelef, battle ready, and also, a large grey Guymelef. The cockpit opens, and Allen is inside.  
  
"Van, I told you not to leave this fort." Jayson said  
  
"Jayson." Hitomi said  
  
"But if you dare to do so, you'll have to fight your way out..." But Jayson puts his sword down, "I won't fight you, since you will not defeat me, yet...but maybe..."  
  
Jayson step aside to let Allen through.  
  
"Allen?" Hitomi said  
  
"Defeat me if you want to leave....If you can do it, though..." Allen said  
  
"...Alright then."  
  
They go outside and prepare to fight. Many people watch.  
  
"How many strokes will he be able to block?" someone asked  
  
"One attack, and he'll be finished." another said.  
  
"Come on," Jayson said from his Guymelef, which he opens up and relaxes, like he is watching a show, "He's not that terrible."  
  
One of the Dragonslayers watches from the woods with interest.  
  
"Don't Van! Why fight Allen..." Hitomi asked  
  
Escaflowne steps back, knocking her into Gadess's arms.  
  
"Be careful."  
  
"Gadess...?"  
  
"Don't worry."  
  
"But..."  
  
"It's okay" Jayson said  
  
"But..."  
  
"He'll be fine. Go with Gadess to a safer place."  
  
"Are you ready, Van Fanel?" Allen asked  
  
"Come on!"  
  
Escaflowne pulls out it's sword.  
  
"The boss'll win with just one stroke." someone said  
  
"Someone has ta bet on that brat."  
  
"Ya idiot! Why don't you do that?"  
  
"Which side are you going to bet on?" Gadess asked Hitomi.  
  
"Eh? That's...."  
  
Escaflowne runs toward Scherazade, then drags its sword on the ground and, swipes at it, which blocks.   
  
"You don't charge aggressively enough, Van!" He knocks Escaflowne back, punching its left chest, and swings back, but Escaflowne blocks.  
  
"He blocked it." Kio said  
  
"Just luck." Reeden said   
  
"Balgas's swordplay was never this dull!" Allen shouted, "He never held back like that!"  
  
"You knew Balgas...?" Van was a bit shocked and it was throwing him off guard.  
  
"Of course. He was one of the three greatest swordsmen of Gaea." Escaflowne blocks another swing. "Balgas was my teacher in swordsmanship."  
  
He punches Escaflowne's energist, knocking it to it's knees. He swipes from above and is blocked.  
  
"He blocked again." Gadess said  
  
"However..." Allen continued, then knocked Escaflowne's sword away and knocks Escaflowne to the ground.  
  
"Damn it!" Van shouted in defeat, and Allen points the sword at Escaflowne's head.  
  
"It's over. Come out of the Guymelef."  
  
The cockpit opens and Van comes out.  
  
"Balgas...I lost."  
  
Allen's cockpit opens. He notices a scratch on the Guymelef's arm.  
  
"That's...When did he...?"  
  
"Van...?" Hitomi goes up to Van. Escaflowne's energist starts glows.  
  
"Hitomi?"  
  
"Allen, run! The invisible enemy's..." She was having a vision. The whole fort blows up behind her. It was burning. Hitomi falls to her knees.  
  
"She's doing it again..." Van said  
  
Allen and Jayson jumps down from their Guymelef.   
  
"Could it be..." Jayson said in his head," That she could be...the one?"  
  
"What's wrong, Hitomi?" Allen asked  
  
"Allen, escape! Get out of here with everyone immediately. The invisible enemy is going... to attack this place."  
  
"The fight between the two Melefs was too distressing, wasn't it?"  
  
"No, it'll be burned. Everything will be surrounded by flames." but despite what she said, noone seem to believe her except Jayson, who gave out a worried look," It's true. I... I saw it. The invisible giants that attacked Fanelia were burning everything. It's true. I really saw it."  
  
"What the hell is she talking about?" Someone said  
  
"What an ominous thing she says..." another guy said  
  
"She's from the Mystic Moon, Isn't she? They say that the Mystic Moon draws misfortune." another guy said  
  
"Hey, Is that true?" yet another panic looking guy said  
  
"Is something going to happen to this fort?"  
  
"Stop," Allen said," The soldiers of Asturia shouldn't be panicked by superstition. (To Hitomi) I apologize for the rudeness of my men. You're tired. Go rest in a room."  
  
Teo rides up on a horse.  
  
"What's wrong, Teo?"  
  
"Boss! I captured someone suspicious."  
  
"Suspicious...?"  
  
"What she said became real...?" someone said  
  
"Boss, I brought it!" Kio said. He rides up. Merle is the one they captured.  
  
"Merle...! Merle. Merle!" Van runs up to her. Merle, tied up jumps on the ground to him.  
  
"Lord Van. Lord Van!"  
  
"Merle." Van unties her.  
  
"You know her?"  
  
"Yes. She's from Fanelia." Hitomi said  
  
"Lord Van, I finally found you."  
  
"Merle, what happened to Fanelia?"  
  
"It was burned up. Everything... everything was burned..." Merle starts crying. Hitomi has another vision of Fanelia burning. "The castle samurai are all dead. The survivors were split up. No one... no one was left. I was looking for you... ...looking for you for a long time."  
  
Merle passes out.  
  
"Merle...I'm glad you're alive." Hitomi watches, she sees a ring of fire around Merle and Van. Jayson seem to feel what she is feeling.  
  
"Hitomi? Are you alright?" he asked  
  
"No, why is it burning? It's really hot." The visions ends. Hitomi passes out.  
  
"Hitomi." Allen runs up to her and puts a hand on her forehead." She has a severe fever. Van, bring the other one in also."  
  
Meanwhile... on the Zaibach Floating Fortress...  
  
"Folken... the dragon is disappearing." Dorkirk said  
  
"The dragon is...?"  
  
"The outline of our ideal future is uncertain now. If we let the dragon remain free, I don't know how it will affect our future. Capture the dragon."  
  
Dilandau stands and heads to the door.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to launch an attack. We know where the dragon is."  
  
"Asturia is our ally..." the same blond haired soldier said, "and if our intellegence are correct, they have some knights from another powerful country as well, which are also allies of Asturia. Jayson is there as well. He has connections with the royal family of Asturia. Out scouts have also reported a small battlecrusiar in their drydock."  
  
"How annoying, but if I wait for political negotiation, we'll miss the target."  
  
"Why make matters worse?" Folken said  
  
"If we use the Stealth Cloak that you invented...we won't leave any clue that we're from Zaibach. Look foward to my souvenir, Strategos."  
  
Meanwhile, back at the fort Hitomi sits ill in bed. Allen takes the cloth off her head. Van meanwhile is taking care of Merle.  
  
"I'm sorry to bother you like this." Hitomi said  
  
"I don't mind. I can't let those guys take care of you." Hitomi looks out the window at the Mystic Moon.  
  
"Earth...Mom must be worrying."  
  
"You miss her..."  
  
"Yes...I see that your mother must have been beautiful."  
  
"She died when I was little."  
  
"I...I'm sorry."  
  
"It's okay. It was long ago, but you're right, she was very beautiful."   
  
We see a flashback of Allen's mother, sitting in a field, then Allen and his younger sister are playing nearby.  
  
"She liked flower, and she was kind." Allen's sister runs off in the horizon and disappears. "But......one day, my sister mysteriously disappeared."  
  
We see Allen's mother sitting in a dark room.  
  
"After that, my mother became ill from sadness. And then..."  
  
Allen at his mother's grave. The flashback ends.  
  
"If my sister is alive, she'd be your age."  
  
"Allen."  
  
"I don't know why I'm talking about my family to you,"  
  
"Allen." she then thinks," I just told Amano how I feel about him, but......am I so fickle?"  
  
Meanwhile Van is wiping off Merle's face and notices a seed.  
  
"This seed is..."  
  
Elsewhere, Van wakes up the Moleman.  
  
"Oh It's you, young King. So, what brings you down to the dungeon?"  
  
"You live in the woods, so you have Glarl leaves, don't you?"  
  
"S...sure I do. Do you know about this leaf?"  
  
He takes some out and gives them to Van.  
  
"My eldest brother told me that this leaf can neutralize most poisons." He sits down and uses the hilt of his sword to crush them. "Hey, Mole, hold this. Hurry."  
  
"Geez, you're so arrogant."  
  
Meanwhile, all the soldiers prepare for battle at the fort.  
  
"I didn't know that you believed in superstition. as well," Gadess said  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"It's about these emergency preperations. You care about the things the girl from the Mystic Moon said, right? "  
  
"What I care about are the eyes of Dilandau...his thirst for blood is reflected in them........."  
  
"What you mean is that Zaibach...is going to attack us? You can't be serious. We're their allies, right?!"  
  
"They visited us, knowing that Escaflowne is here," Jayson said as he walked up fom behind them, "When they come, they will not leave one single structure standing...."  
  
"Would they go that far?"  
  
"They will." Allen said, "If they kill everyone, that won't leave any witnesses...Gadess get the Crusade ready, and the Enterprize as well."  
  
"Huh? Yes, sir. Let's go."  
  
"When will you come, Dilandau?"   
  
"If their melefs uses the same tactics they did in Fanelia, then we won't stand a chance." Jayson said, "But hey...you can't blame a guy for trying."  
  
Allen's owl flies off into the nearby woods. There, the Zaibach Guymelefs wait.  
  
"Everyone, wait for orders at your present position," Dalandou said, "Hide and seek is over."  
  
Meanwhile, in Hitomi and Merle's room.  
  
"That cat's looking at me." Hitomi said in her head  
  
"Oh, it's that girl from the Mystic Moon..." Merle said in her head  
  
"A short, strange hair style. Her clothes are also strange." Hitomi thought some more, "She's definately a cat, no matter how I look at her. Those ears, that tail. She's so weird. I wish she were a little more quiet."  
  
Merle notices where she is.  
  
"Why the hell am I stuck with the bench?!"  
  
"O, she seems angry about something(gasp)" Hitomi has a vision of a red demon. "Something's coming."  
  
Hitomi opens her eyes and sees the Mole Man in front of her.  
  
"No!!!!" she shouted and The Mole Man falls over. Van comes in.  
  
"Lord Van!" Merle said  
  
"Where have you been, leaving sick people alone?" Hitomi said  
  
"You made that ointment for me?" Van puts some medicine on Merle.  
  
"A liniment...? He was making it..." Van patched up Merle, and Merle makes a face at Hitomi.  
  
Then, Van walks over to Hitomi and he pulls the covers off of her.  
  
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?! Ow..." Van puts the medicine on Hitomi's cut.  
  
"Stay still. The poison of some weed has spread through this wound. This will cure your fever."  
  
"Van..." Hitomi senses something." They're here. That invisible giants are here!"  
  
The Zaibach Guymelefs start attacking the fort, and spread flames everywhere. Jayson and his group leds the counter offensive, but was having a hard time with all the smoke and the fact that they can't see them.  
  
Another Guymelef destroys all the catapults.  
  
"So those are the invisible giants," Allen said  
  
"Ahh! It's the curse of the Mystic Moon." Reeden said  
  
"Idiot! That's Zaibach!" Gaddess said  
  
"I'll go out in Scherezade."  
  
Men shoot arrows at another Guymelef, but get burned. A Guymelef charges Dilandau, but then Dalandou flips out a claw thing from one of his arms and slammed it on the Guymelef and throws it aside, and then gets attacked by Jayson...alone.  
  
"Well! I was wondering when you would show up!" Jayson shouted and jumps back.  
  
"Let's see if you are as good as you claim to be! Take this!!" Dalandou launches some claws at Jayson, but Jayson shields himself with his dragon like wings on his back and deflects the claws. "What the-!"  
  
Jayson then opens up his wings and fires his own set of claws at Dalandou, but Dalandou evaded them.  
  
"He has crima claws?!" Then Jayson fired his own flame cannons from his other arm, and retracts his claws from his other. Then escapes from Dalandou's sights and into the darkness. "Damn it! Where did he go?!!"  
  
Jayson ran as fast as he can over to a waterfall and sees that there is no place for him to go. He stands there as if waiting for something.  
  
Back with Dalandou.  
  
"Burn everything! Smoke out Escaflowne!"  
  
Allen heads through the wreckage in his Guymelef.  
  
"Damn you, Zaibach." He notices Kio getting out of his Guymelef. "Kio, are you alright?"  
  
"Boss, I'm sorry."  
  
"Where's the enemy?"  
  
"They seem to have entered the underground passages."  
  
"There's no way to stop them."  
  
"Allen!" Van arrives."Where's Escaflowne?"  
  
"Don't worry. It was taken to the Crusade."  
  
"The Crusade...?"  
  
"This fort will fall. It's time to withdraw."  
  
"Withdraw?! Even though they've done this to your comrades?!"  
  
"I don't want any more casualties."  
  
"Are you really a knight?! I won't run away. I won't turn my back to the enemy! To avenge the people of Fanelia, I'll fight to the death!"  
  
"Relentlessly choosing death is not the same as courage! Van, you're the King of Fanelia. As long as the King survives, as long as the people live, tomorrow will come...True courage means enduring this disgrace. The knights exist to save peoples' lives. Don't forget that...Kio, move the command post to Crusade. Tell everyone."  
  
"Aye, aye, sir."  
  
Kio leaves. Allen spreads his Guymelef's hand out to Van, and Van gets in it.  
  
"I won't let Zaibach take you or Escaflowne on the honor of my name, Allen Schezar."  
  
Inside the nearby cavern...  
  
"Hey, hurry up!" Kio said  
  
"This valve!" Paile said  
  
"C'mon, hurry! Let's go! The Enterprize has already lifted off!" Gadess said, "Hitomi and the others get into Crusade, a Levi-Ship, inside the cavern. "Don't worry, this limestone cave will hold."  
  
"Pressure's come up. It's ready." Reeden said   
  
"Okay!"   
  
"What about Allen?" Hitomi asked  
  
"Where's Lord Van? He's not here...?"  
  
"They'll join us soon. Weigh anchor."  
  
"Weigh anchor." The anchors come in.  
  
"Set sail!"  
  
The ship takes off. Inside the burning wreckage...  
  
"Burn, burn!" Dalandou said," Yeah this is it!"  
  
"This is foolish. How many more are you going to kill without reason?" Folken said from the comm.  
  
"This is the most effective way to eliminate evidence. All we have to do is to capture Escaflowne once it's smoked out."  
  
"Do you seriously think this Allen Schizar of Asturia or Jayson would be simply hurted by fire?" the blond soldier said  
  
"What are you trying to say?"  
  
"Hmmm, that waterfall on a cliff behind the fort...they say birds build nests behind falls to avoid attack by the enemy."  
  
"They're behind the fort!"  
  
Scherezade runs to the end of the cliff where the waterfall is, and also where Jayson is as well.  
  
"I was wondering when you two will show up," Jayson said  
  
"What're you guys gonna do?" Van asked  
  
"Hang on tight."  
  
"Wait!-" Scherazade and Excalibur jumps off the cliff. The Crusade and Enterprize flies out and both lands on each.  
  
"Allen!"  
  
"Lord Van!"  
  
"Alright, unfold sails!"  
  
"Unfolding sails!"  
  
Crusade's and Enerprize's sails spreads out like wings on aircrafts, and the crafts lever their flight. Dilandau and others deactivate their stealth cloaks as the watch on the cliff.  
  
"Clever bastards..." Dalandou said, "Alright you know what to do. So get ready."  
  
"But you do realize that we can't use the Stealth Cloak in flight mode." Dalandou hits him.   
  
"Just destroy everything you see!"  
  
The Guymelefs transfer to flight mode and fly after them. Van jumps off Scherazade.  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
"To the capital of Asturia." Jayson shouted, "That floating fortress won't be able to catch up with these ships."  
  
They notice the Guymelefs.  
  
"It's them!" Jayson shouted, "I was beginning to wonder when they will catch up!"  
  
"Damn them and their flying capabilities"  
  
"Aft cannons, fire!" Jayson shouted as his ship has cannon weapons and fired at the suits flying toward them, but missed.   
  
"They're fast! They're above us!" Allen shouted as he got ready.  
  
"Watch out you!" Dilandau lands on Crusade in his Guymelef.   
  
"I won't let you do as you like." Allen swings his sword around and battles Dalandou.  
  
While that, Jayson battles three at a time.  
  
"Come on and get me!"  
  
One tried to shoot claws at him, but they just only made light dents on his suit and he fires back, but misses, and then blocks a chop from above, and bends down and fires his claws at the guy's leg and throws him overboard. Then, without turning around, he flinged his sword back and stabbed another's arm. Then, at the ends of his sword pops out blades from the main blade like a grappling hook and he grappled the suit and then threw the guy toward a cliff wall and it fell into the river below. The last one flew up and Jayson stopped and watched Allen battle Dalandou.  
  
Allen rolled over and then turned around to block an attack and then sliced from under his leg, but Dalandou jumped and then blocked another attack.  
  
"Your pretty good!"  
  
"You're not bad yourself...lovely!"  
  
"Allen above you!" Jayson fired a set of claws to devert the dive path of the other Alsatious and missed Allen narrowly and then flies back up and breaks one of the sails.  
  
"We;re hit! I can't control it..." Kio said  
  
"We're surrounded!" Gadess shouted  
  
"Allen!"  
  
"Lord Van!"  
  
Van watches Allen and Jayson fight.  
  
"Because of Escaflowne, everyone is..."   
  
He then remembers what Allen said to him.  
  
"A Knight exist to save people's lives."  
  
Van jumps from his position to a length of rope nearby.  
  
"Van!" Allen blocks another attack, "Van, what're you doing?!  
  
Van gets in Escaflowne.  
  
"Hey, stop!" Gadess shouted  
  
"Too late for that."  
  
Escaflowne jumps off the Crusade, then suddenly transforms into a dragon.  
  
"Escaflowne turned into a dragon!"  
  
"A dragon...? So, that's the dragon Lord Dornkirk was talking about. Gatti, I'll leave him to you!" Dilandau takes off.  
  
"Wait, we're not done yet, Dilandau!" blocks an attack.  
  
"Good, come after me." Van shouted as he flew faster.  
  
"Lord Van's leaving!"  
  
"He's trying to let us escape." Hitomi said  
  
Allen attacks Gatti's Guymelef and hits it.  
  
"D...Damn it!"  
  
Then, Jayson jumps from behind and shoots his claws at the suit's leg and hurls it off. Then he and Allen looks to the sky.  
  
"Brother...don't get yourself kill."  
  
"Gadess, turn the ship around and help Van!" Hitomi plead  
  
"I can't do it yet. One of the sails was destroyed and I can't control it."  
  
"We've just got word from the Enterprize that they can't see Van anymore!"  
  
"Oh no."  
  
"Lord Van... Lord Van!" Merle shouted   
  
Van continues to be chased by the Zaibach suits.  
  
"Good. The dragon wind will blow soon." then he pulls Escaflowne up and flies out of the canyon," Alright, I'm on the wind."  
  
"It's been a while since I hunted a dragon." Dilandou said, "I'm going to enjoy this...."  
  
To Be Continued... 


	4. Chapter III

Escaflowne  
  
Chapter III  
  
Was it all just dream...or maybe a vision? No it was real....The giants that attacked Fanelia set Allen's fort aflame. Yes, my vision became reality again. The giants flew into the sky and attacked us. Van then somehow changed Escaflowne into a dragon and flew away to let us escape...  
  
The Mark of Brothers  
  
Will yourself to stand ready  
  
and courageous on the battlefield.  
  
In this way, all that is difficult   
  
or dangerous will be yours.  
  
Dilandau and the Dragonslayers chase after Van.  
  
"Come on," Dilandou shouted, "You'd better fly faster or we'll catch up with you."  
  
He aims his arm and shoots a blob of hot liquid metal at Van, but missed narrowly.  
  
"Try this on for size," He fires again and hits Escaflowne. Van finds it hard to regain balance.  
  
"Damn, I'm hit!" Van shouted, and Escaflowne transforms back into it's regular form and lands on the ground. It gets hit multiple times in the back. Dilandau and the others land and turn invisible. "Bastards... They hid themselves again. So...where are you Dilandou..."  
  
  
  
Footsteps are seen in the ground as Dilandau steps towards him. Van looked left and right, but couldn't see anything, and then,  
  
"What!?" Van was caught by two claws and was stuck."Damn it!"  
  
Dilandou decloaks in front of him.  
  
"I've got ya O king of Fanelia," Dilandou said mocking Van, "Van...I think that is your name...You set yourself as a decoy so the others could escape...well you know that I just CAN'T stand heroics!"  
  
He punches Escaflowne's chest, and then the sides and then the stomach.  
  
"In fact I hate'em!" Van looks up and Dilandou punches his face plate and knocks him out," He's down already?"  
  
"Dilandou!" Fulcan's voice shouted from the comm."What do you think you're doing, I said to take him alive."  
  
"I was just playing around, Statagos."  
  
The Floating Fortress approaches from behind him.   
  
Later on, a group of goats watch as the Crusade and the Enterprize passes over where Van was captured.  
  
"Flames...I can see flames!" Pyle said  
  
"Can you see the remains of a Melef?" Allen asked  
  
"None detected,"  
  
"Do you suppose Van would be..." Merle started to say, but Allen reasure them.  
  
"No. I'm pretty sure they won't kill Van. They say that only the King of Fanelia is the only one who can operate the Escaflowne."  
  
"Don't worry. We'll save him." Gadess said  
  
"I want to pay them back." Teo said   
  
"I can't cool down myself down at this rate." Pyle said  
  
"That's right." Reeden said  
  
"I'll kill them all." Kio added  
  
"Sir, what do you think?" Gadess  
  
"How many are we, Jayson?" Allen asked  
  
"There are 20 here...including me, and the Enterprize has about 35..."  
  
"Hmmm, so a head on assault against the fortress would be next to impossible,"  
  
"Yes, it would be...and there isn't enough munition on the Enterprize to damage the fortress much. I wish I can call in a couple of cruisars, but we are too far a distant to establish contact with-" Jayson was interrupted by Hitomi.  
  
"Excuse me, Allen...I might be able to find out where Van is."  
  
"You did predicted their attack on our fort, but..."  
  
"Yes and it wasn't a coincidence. I can feel it. I've been able to guess things right since I was little, and... I'm not sure, but my ability seems to be getting stronger."  
  
"Even so, this is work for us knights. You understand, right?" Allen starts to move away.  
  
"Then, why don't you test me? Please...."  
  
Meanwhile, the Floating Fortress hides in a crater filled with Levi-Stones. Multiple Guymelefs fly out of it.  
  
"I've sent search and destroy units out..." Dilandou said to Folken as they walk towards Escaflowne, "They can't go back to their home country, so we don't have to hide here anymore."  
  
"You'd better be careful. Why don't we wait for their report?"  
  
"You're cautious, as usual," They reach Escaflowne. "Now, a piece of our future is secured. Let's just drag the knight out of it and destroy the thing."  
  
"I cannot allow that."  
  
"Why not? "  
  
"Not until we find out why...this is a threat to our future....Now do you understand Dilandou?"  
  
He cuts his finger with his sword and places his hand on Escaflowne's energist. The cockpit opens and Van falls out.  
  
"It..it's him!" Dilandou said as he remembers Van's face the first time they met.  
  
"Yes...Fanelia's new king..."  
  
Elsewhere, three Guymelefs fly over Crusade and Enterprize, hiding under a cliff and don't notice it.  
  
"Don, Those things are making me nervous." Teo said as he makes repairs.  
  
Hitomi and Allen sit at a table. Merle and Gadess watch. She deals some Tarot cards on the table. Kio, Pyle and Paile watch from outside. Jayson leans on the doorway and watches.  
  
"Hey, will she be able to tell our boss's past?" Paile asked  
  
"Shhh, I'm trying to listen," Pyle said  
  
"(gasp)" Hitomi opens her eyes very suddenly, as she sees all for the moment, "This is the card of Il Pazio. Selfish life... eccentric action... This card tells of your father's personality. His shadow covered and haunts your family, a family divided...." Allen's eyes twitched as though he was hurt.  
  
"So..is she right?" Paile asked  
  
"How should I know. He doesn't like to talk about his past."  
  
"She's right," Jason said in his head, "Selena's disappearence. His mother's death...He blames his father for it all..."  
  
"Well, continue..." Allen said  
  
"What should I do?" Hitmoi said in her head, "He seems angry. Did I say something bad? But I have to make him believe me."  
  
"Something wrong, Hitomi?" Jayson asked  
  
"Ummm, nothing..."  
  
"She's such a terrible lier," Jason said in his head  
  
"No...Just say it." Hitomi said in her head then spoke outloud, "Il Guidizio is the card of judgement. In the near future, you might see your father again. But because you adhere to the past, your grudge...A...and this card..."  
  
Hitomi's hand shakes as she points to a card and she tries to get a hold of herself, and then Allen grabs it.  
  
"Thank you, Hitomi....that's enough." Allen signals Gadess to get something.  
  
"Umm... did I...?" Allen puts the map Gadess got him on the table.  
  
"You passed...now find out where Van is."  
  
"Ok..."  
  
In a cold dark room, lit by a single candle that burns blue flames....Someone was whistling a softm sweet tune. The tune wakes up Van, who was on a bed. He hears it and thinks back to when Fanelia was whole. It reminded him of home....but then realized where he is and jumps up.  
  
"Who are you?!" Van shouted, "How did you know that Fanelia song!"  
  
  
  
It was Folken, who stood up and faced Van. Van sees his sword on the table, then runs and grab it. He draws it and then gets in an attack position.  
  
"OK, now take me to my Guymelef, now!"  
  
Folken chuckles a bit.  
  
"Do you think a soldier of Zaibach would give in to such threat? You can't escape this floating fortress, Van."  
  
"If I have to be a pawn to survive then-" Van moves his sword to his neck to kill himself, but Folken quickly drew his own sword and knocks Van's sword away,  
  
"You shouldn't take your life lightly." Folken removes his cape and shirt. Then, black angel wings came out of his back.  
  
"B...Brother..."  
  
Back on the Crusade, Hitomi swings her pendant over the map.  
  
"I wonder if she can find him with stuff like that-" Gadess asked, but Merle shut him up.  
  
"Shhh..."  
  
"Well, in our life, whatever comes out will come out." Jayson said  
  
Meanwhile, back on the floating fortress.  
  
"It's been a while, Van. It's been ten years, hasn't it?"  
  
"I never believe that my brother ran away from his inauguration. That he fought the dragon and was killed...that he never turned his back to the enemy, and fought until the end....But I was wrong! Why are you with Zaibach?! Why did you burn Fanelia?! Answer me, Brother!(Folken laughs a bit) What's so funny? Don't laugh!"  
  
Van grabs Folken's shoulder, but Folken grabbed back and holded him tight.  
  
"Yes, I failed to defeat the dragon and I still live," We see a flashback of Folken fight the dragon and lost,"Van come with me and serve Dornkirk....the emporior of all Zaiback, there we can set the future back on course."  
  
Back with Hitomi, who continues to swing the pendant over the map.  
  
"Do you want to take a break?"Allen asked as he wiped Hitomi's sweat.  
  
"No. Let me continue. If I... If I only had something of Van-"  
  
"Wait," Merle said and show Hitomi her bandage,"Wha else should we do?"  
  
Merle give her the bandage Van put on her in the last episode.  
  
"Envision him in your mind."  
  
Allen, Hitomi, Merle, and Jayson put their hands on top of each other and flashbacks went through each. First, Hitomi remembers Van back in Fanelia when he got in Escaflowne for the first time. Merle remembers hugging Van after he can back. Allen remembers Van from when his fort was still burning hot, and that he taught Van the lesson of being a knight. Jayson remembers teaching Van how to fight. All their memories of Van led them into the right path, and Hitomi sees a vision of the fortress with Van inside.  
  
"...there..."  
  
"That's where the wandering continents gather." Allen said  
  
"Wandering continents...?"  
  
"Leva stones, they're like the floating rocks that this ship has." Jayson explained,"They are said to be magical, since they defy gravity, but with the science back on Earth....they are simplely large magnet rocks that repel the gravitational pull of this planet."  
  
"That's it. It's the perfect place for that floating fortress to hide." Gadess said,"Since the fortress is just a castle on top of a big rock, it bends in perfectly."  
  
Hitomi smiles, but then passes out.  
  
"Hitomi!" Allen shouted as Jayson grabbed her.  
  
"She's just tired, give her some rest." Jayson said and carried her away.  
  
Meanwhile, back at the floating fortress, Dilandau looks at Escaflowne.  
  
"So this is the great threat to the Zaibach Empire...It's just a stupid antique. Now, how in the world did Folken open this thing." He then slowly puts his hand up to the energist.  
  
Elsewhere, just above the crater where the floating fortress is, the Crusade and the Enterprize nears the fortress. The Enterprize had three rotating turrets, and underneath it, opened up holes that resemble torpedos weapon ports.  
  
Pyle was looking through a teloscope and spots the fortress.  
  
"There it is. Right there. Floating fortress spotted!"   
  
"Alright, heat up the leva stones. Cut the lift and charge at the fortress." Allen commanded.  
  
In the Enterprize, Jayson ordered the same thing.  
  
"Armed all weapons and aimed at the fortress's engine ports!" Jayson ordered and the ship's cannons took aim."Ready stinger launchers one and two!"  
  
"Locked and loaded, sir!" Kyle shouted as two hole on the underside of the Enterprize opens up.  
  
Back in the Crusade.  
  
"Lift's dropped to twenty!" Teo said  
  
"Now! Retract the sails! and Dive!" Allen commanded.  
  
The sails retract and Crusade falls into the crater with the Enterprize following. Dilandau touching Escaflowne and it causes his hand to hurt.  
  
"Aaaaah!!" Then the whole thing created an explosion that made the ship shake.  
  
"What was that?"Folken asked  
  
"Explosion in the hanger, cause unknown."  
  
"We're under attack!"  
  
"What?!"  
  
There were a series of explosion as the Enterprize's cannons hit their targets with percise accuacy. Then, from underneath it, it launches what appears to be primativ looking rockets. The rockets flew straight into the fortress and made big dents on it's lower rock hull.  
  
The Crusade slides against the Floating Fortress.  
  
"Anchor!" Jayson and Allen shouted at the same time. And the anchors of both ships is shot out, connecting the Crusade and the Enterprize to the Floating Fortress.  
  
"Lift regained!" Teo said  
  
"Alright. Cut the wire and then raise the propellors." Then Crusade did that and floated near an opening in the Fortress.  
  
Back in the Enterprize.  
  
"Set stablizers to max! Thrusters in hover mode!" Jayson shouted as the thrusters behind and under the Enterprize moved and pointed down. The Enterprize also nears a hanger opening."Aft docking anchors, fire!"  
  
The Enterprize docks with the fortress and so does the Crusade.  
  
"Alright, let's board them!" Allen shouted as both ships empty all crew and attack.  
  
They charge the Fortress. Allen looks around.  
  
"The enemy!" Gadess shouted  
  
"They've come." Allen said  
  
"Let's do it, guys." Jayson shouted as he drew his sword. Some of his men were carrying strang weapons that looked like sticks with holes in them. They then form up in ranks. "Alright men, take aim!"  
  
The couple of soldiers were actually carrying guns,  
  
"Fire!" A series of explosions from the barrels of the weapons blasted out long bullets at their targets, killing them instantly. "Reload and engage at will!"  
  
Elsewhere, Van listens to the noise from inside his room.  
  
"What the hell's happening?" He said  
  
Back with the battle. Kio takes out multiple soldiers, Pyle is chased by a few, but Reeden takes them out from above. Allen knocks down some guards and Jayson dashed toward a group and plowed through them.  
  
Meanwhile, some of the Dragonslayers wonder what they should do.  
  
"Where's Lord Dilandau?" Gatti asked  
  
"I don't know." Shester said  
  
"We can't move without his orders. Let's split up and find him." They split up.   
  
Allen and Jayson meanwhile takes out four soldiers that were in their way and spots a hangar area.  
  
"Escaflowne!" Jayson shouted and then sees a dragonslayer charge at them.  
  
Allen quickly knocks away the guy's weapon and points his sword at Shester's neck.  
  
"Freeze...that is if you want to live...."  
  
Meanwhile Merle and Hitomi are on the Crusade.  
  
"Allen..." Hitomi said and then she has a vision of Dilandau attacking Van from behind. Hitomi holds her head.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"I saw it."  
  
"Saw what?"  
  
"I have to go."  
  
"Go where?"  
  
"I got to go and warn Van." Hitomi runs to the rear of the ship.  
  
"Hey!" Merle follows.  
  
Van hears his door being unlocked. Shester stands at the door and is knocked out by Allen. Jayson quickly followed.  
  
"So, still alive I see."  
  
"Allen! You came to rescue me?"  
  
"We don't have much time, let's go." Jayson and they ran  
  
Hitomi looks over the gap from the Crusade to the Floating Fortress and thinks to herself.  
  
"It looks five... No, almost six meters."  
  
"Hitomi! Hitomi! What're you gonna do?" Hitomi removes her jacket and throws it to Merle.  
  
"Hold this. I'm going to jump over there. My broad jump record is five meters and forty. Alright."  
  
"What're you thinking? There's no way you can jump that. It's too far. You'll die if you fall. You'll become flat mush. You-!" Hitomi gets ready and starts running. "Hey!"  
  
Hitomi reaches toward the end of the road and jumped over, and then after what seems to go on forever, Hitomi reached the otherside and fell to the ground on the other side of the gap.  
  
"I made it!" She got back up and ran.  
  
"She's...one weird girl..."  
  
Hitomi runs down a series of dark hallways, making random turns that seems to lead her the right way. A look of worry enshroud her face.  
  
"I have to tell him as soon as possible." She said in her head.  
  
Hitomi runs as Allen, Jayson, and Van make their way to the hangar.  
  
"Escaflowne is that way. Jayson, Van go. I'll take care of these."  
  
"Right, come on Van." Van runs first into the hangar followed by Jayson, just as Hitomi makes it there.  
  
"There he is," Hitomi said. Hitomi is about to call out to him when someone else does.  
  
"Van!" the sound of Folken's voice came from high above on a walkway.  
  
"Brother!" Van shouted in an anger tone. Jayson turned to see and was shocked.  
  
"No....Folken? It can't be." Jayson said  
  
Folken didn't have a shock look when he saw Jayson, and then dropped Van's sword. Van grabbed it and Folken walked away.  
  
"Come back!" Jayson shouted.  
  
"Van!" Hitomi called out.  
  
Dilandau, hiding in the smoke behind Van in the hangar draws his sword.  
  
"Van, look out behind you!" Hitomi shouted and Van block's Dilandau's attack.  
  
"I should have killed you when I had the chance!" Dilandou shouted and tried to attack Van again," Taste my steal!"  
  
Van pulls out his sword and blocks again.  
  
"You're a weak coward!"  
  
Van gets mad at the comment and slashes Dilandau in the face. Some hairs and blood fall to the ground. Dilandau screams and falls to the ground.  
  
"......." was all tha came from him.  
  
Jayson and Van ran away.  
  
"Hitomi, this way!" Jayson shouted  
  
"Okay!"  
  
Jayson then looked at a dark hallway and sees a shadowy form of the mystrious soldier that talked to Folken and Dilandou, but he couldn't make of wha the really looks like.  
  
"He looks...so familiar..." Jayson said but then got his concentration back again.  
  
Allen takes out another soldier as Van approaches him in Escaflowne.  
  
"Allen, let's go!"  
  
"Gadess, pull out!"  
  
"Right!" He finishes out the last soldier. "Guys, mission complete!"  
  
The Enterprize and the Crusade takes off. Dilandau walks nearby holding his face.  
  
"How dare you....you damage my beautiful face..." he said  
  
The Enterprize and the Crusade's sails unfold and the ascend.  
  
"Asturian high speed ship's ascending! It's escaping!" a Zaibach soldier said  
  
"The Energist hasn't regained its power! No power output from the engine!"  
  
"Van...someday you will stand by my side."  
  
On the Crusade, Merle hugs Van.  
  
"Lord Van! I'm so glad."  
  
"Don't cry. I was supposed to save you, but you saved me again."  
  
"This is all thanks to Hitomi." Allen said   
  
"Oh, I see...Thank You..."  
  
"Geez..."  
  
"To starboard, full! Head for Palas, the capital of Asturia."  
  
"Palas..." Jayson said on the Enterprize, "...Soon I'll be home again..."  
  
Later, they were very near Palas, the capitial of Asturia. The coastal city. Jayson looks out the main screen of his bridge on his ship and sees the city that he once live in. Jayson remembers when he was young, he lived in Palas. When he was born, the King of Asturia was his god-father and one day, Jayson visited Palas and stayed they for a few years, and that's how he met Allen, and became a knight along with him. For the moment, since Austuria has no male heirs, Jayson took the position and was crowned prince of Asturia, though most known him as a famous knight, like Allen.  
  
The sun was rising and they can see the ocean next to the capital. The Crusade and the Enterprize landed on an airfield and everyone got off.  
  
"The smell of the ocean..." Plyle said, "This smell tells me that I'm really home. Alright! Let's flock to the city tonight!"  
  
"Van, it's the ocean, isn't it?" Merle said holding Van's arm, "This is the first time I've seen it."  
  
"Yeah, it's also my first time." Van said  
  
Jayson took in a deep breath as he smelt the air.  
  
"The smell of the ocean is the same as I left," Jayson said,"it hasn't change..."  
  
"Allen! Brother?!" A female voice shouted to Allen and Jayson.  
  
A beautiful blond haired woman rides up on a horse to the group. The young lady got off her horse and was approached by Jayson and Allen.  
  
"I'm surprised by your sudden return, Jayson, Allen!"  
  
"Millerna." Jayson said and kissed her in the cheek, "Truely the surprise is all mine...sister."  
  
"Princess Millerna." Allen said, "I'm the one who's shocked."  
  
Allen kneels and kissed Millerna's hand.  
  
"But...Your appearance..." Allen said  
  
"I can't ride on horseback in a dress. But why didn't you tell me? I could have arranged for you a proper welcome."  
  
"I'm sorry, but it was so sudden."  
  
The time, Jayson was in Austria, and with the royal family there. He treats them as if they were his own family.  
  
Millerna sees Van.  
  
"Oh, who's that?"  
  
"This is my brother, well actually, our brother. May I introduce you to the King of Fanelia, Van Fanel."  
  
"Oh, that's why. I thought I'd met him somewhere. When I was a child, I visited Fanelia once. Oh, Fanelia has lush forests, and it's a beautiful country. There's a castle with a blue roof. You were with your brother in a garden behind it." She flashes back to years before, Folken is playing with Van in back, he turns and looks at her. "Yes, your elder brother looked very gentle."  
  
Van the looks away for a moment and has a sad, yet angered face, but no one noticed.  
  
"Princess, I have a favor to ask." Allen said  
  
"Oh, my, Me...? Ask me anything."  
  
"Princess, I think it's best if I go to the castle first."  
  
"I see. Father said that he also wants to talk to you. You can use my horse. Jayson I brought your horse along, too."  
  
"Thank You Millerna..." He and Allen gets on horses, "See you at the castle."  
  
And the knights rode away.  
  
"The knight and the princess..." Hitomi said in her head, refering to Allen and Millerna, "...the perfect couple."  
  
Millerna turns and faces Hitomi.  
  
"Well then, shall we go? You there, why don't you carry Allen's baggage?"  
  
"Me?" Merle laughs in the back ground  
  
"Yes, you."  
  
"She's not a maid. She's my companion."  
  
"She is?"  
  
"No, she's with Allen!" Merle shouted angered.  
  
"No, I'm not really with anyone..." Hitomi said  
  
"We get all sorts of people who visit Asturia, but I've never seen someone like you before."  
  
"Yes, I suppose, you Probably don't get many vistors from the mystic Mo-!" Hitomi was interupted by Merle who steped on her foot.  
  
"Idiot!" Merle said quietly to her. Milerna gave off a suspious look on her face.  
  
Meanwhile, at the castle. Allen and Jayson kneel to the king of Austria and explained their situation.  
  
"The Zaibach Empire broke the treaty and attacked our fort. Even though the treaty still stands, we don't know when they'll attack this castle." Allen said, "King Aston, I request that you make your decision immediately."  
  
"Allen Schezar, are you going to bring misfortune to our country?" King Aston said, "How foolish of you to arouse their anger for the sake of one little fort."  
  
"Father you don't understand!" Jayson got a little angered at his god-father. Even though King Aston is not his real father, he treats and talks to him as if he is, "We righteously protected my brother, the King of Fanelia, whose country was destroyed by Zaibach. I personally witness Zaibach suits burning Allen fort and killing mostly all of his men. We barely got out alive!"  
  
"You two seem to have misunderstood." Folken's voice said and he walked out from behind some curtains.  
  
"You are..." Allen asked.  
  
"Brother?!" Jayson said in his head.  
  
"Allen, Jayson, I would like to introduce you two to Folken Stratgos of Zaibach."  
  
"Of Zaibach!" Allen said. Then, Allen heard a voice in his head.  
  
"Zaibach has already manupiulated the king...it's useless to talk to him now..." Jayson's voice spoke in Allen's head.  
  
"Jayson you-?"  
  
"King Aston, did you know that Fanelia attacked our empire unprovoked." Folken said  
  
"Wait a minute, I've never heard such a story." Jayson said with a bit of anger in his voice and thought to kill Folken on the spot for betraying his family, but kept his cool.  
  
"It's true, but if you hand over the King of Fanelia and his Guymelef, Escaflowne...we'll forget about this matter. I want to avoid leaving any cracks in our alliance." King Aston nods. "Now, the case has been settled."  
  
Folken leaves, and Jayson seem to hear Folken laugh a bit, but only he heard him.  
  
"Allen Schezar, if you truly care about the country, hand him over. You can't protect a country with only righteousness, Allen Schezar."  
  
Allen seemed to almost explode, and Jayson was puzzled and confused.  
  
Elsewhere in the castle, Merle, Van and Millerna sit at a table. Hitomi comes in, in a beautiful dress.  
  
"Oh... Oh, dear... It's very becoming. You look good in that one." Milerna said, but there was something in the voice that tells that she is being sarcastic.  
  
"You look good enough to be a hand maiden, um," Merle said, but Van puts a hand on her head as Hitomi's beauty in the dress seem to have taken him by surprise.  
  
"Can I really have a wonderful dress like this?" Hitmoi asked  
  
"If you wander around with that strange look, that'll ruin Allen's reputation."  
  
"Everything she says seems to get on my nerves." Hitomi said in her head.  
  
The maid is bringing Hitomi's clothes away.  
  
"Are those mine?"  
  
"Yes. It's okay to dispose of them, isn't it?"  
  
"N...no, it isn't"  
  
"Why not? I'll give you as many new clothes as you like."  
  
"I have so many memories with these clothes. I appreciate your kindness, but not this..."  
  
"There seem to be many stories about you. I'll ask Allen later."  
  
The maid brings Millerna a message.  
  
"Princess Millerna... ...this is from Sir Allen and Lord Jayson,"  
  
"What is it? 'Go to the bazaar ahead of me' Geez, men's promises always end up like this. It'll be boring to wait, so let's go, everyone."  
  
"O...okay." Hitomi said  
  
"Hitomi," Van said and throws her dufflebag to her.  
  
"Why did you...?"  
  
"Take that with you. We don't know what might happen."  
  
Meanwhile, the crew of the Crusade and the Enterprize hide Escaflowne under a tarp.   
  
"Hey, farther to the left, left. Good." Gadess said  
  
"It won't draw attention like that." Teo said as he and Darson work on the tarp.  
  
"Come down. Let's eat." Kyle said  
  
Gadess, and Marcus goes over to where the others are eating.  
  
"Sorry we didn't wait for you." Lance said  
  
"You guys didn't eat ours, did you?" Marcus asked, then Suddenly, some Asturian Royal Guard arrives.  
  
"Hey, what's with them?" Alexandra asked  
  
"The royal guards...?" Gadess said, "What's your business?"  
  
The guards walked to the hidden Escaflowne.  
  
"What're you going to do?" Teo asked, "Hey, you!"  
  
One of them draws a sword and cuts the lashing holding up the tarp. It falls and Escaflowne is revealed.  
  
"That's Fanelia's Guymelef, Escaflowne..." the leader of the guards said, "We're seizing this Guymelef as King Aston ordered. We won't hold back against anyone who opposes us."  
  
"Say what?" Kyle said  
  
"What's going on, sir," Pyle asked  
  
"Damn you..." Gadess said as they took Escaflowne away.  
  
"What should we do?" Marcus asked Kyle.  
  
"Let's see what Jayson will do about this." Kyle said  
  
Meanwhile, Millerna, Van, Merle and Hitomi walk through the marketplace.  
  
"How is it? Looks prosperous, doesn't it?" Millerna asked   
  
"It does." A seal like man comes by.  
  
"Oh, excuse me, miss." the seal like man said and moved on, which Hitomi was not expecting to see.  
  
"You're shocked so easily, despite being from the Mystic Moon." Merle said  
  
"But that was!" Hitomi said, but then a bird man walked past them.  
  
"What're you doing? We'll leave you behind." Van said Van looks at the nearby bridge and sees 2 Zaibach soldiers talking. "Zaibach soldiers..."  
  
Then, he see Folken and Jayson walking up to them and past them by.  
  
"Folken...."  
  
"What's wrong?" Millerna asked, but then Van ran in the direction of Folken. "Van...?"  
  
Hitomi is at a nearby table, where a wolf man is selling various trinkets.  
  
"See anything you like?" The wolfman said.  
  
Hitomi sees a CD on the table.  
  
"But that?"  
  
"Pretty isn't it, it would great on you..."  
  
Hitomi takes out her Discoman and puts the CD inside. A song plays. We then see Hitomi's school. Yukari sits on a bench.  
  
"Yukari..."  
  
Then, we see the Earth verison of Jason,  
  
"Jason?"  
  
Then, we see Amano.  
  
"Amano..."  
  
Then, we see Van standing and is struck by a bolt of lightning.  
  
"Oh no Van!"  
  
"Hitomi, what's wrong? You look so out of it." Millerna asked  
  
"Van... where's Van?"  
  
"He rushed to the port for some reason. He seems to be upset about something."  
  
Then, Hitomi runs off, followed by Merle.  
  
"Strange girls...."  
  
Folken walks down various alleys through town. Van chases after him until Folken walks over a bridge that goes over a river. Van stops and sees a Floating Fortress behind the mountain.  
  
"That's a Zaibach floating fortress."   
  
Folken and Jayson reaches the other side and a carriage pulls up.  
  
"Sir Folken, I've come to pick you up."  
  
"This is where we part, brother," Jayson said as he bow to Folken, "It is nice to talk to you in such a while, us both being death men that which makes us the more alike."  
  
Van runs on to the bridge.  
  
"Folken!"  
  
"Van, have you decided to come with me?"  
  
"Folken," Jayson said, "What are you planning."  
  
"Wouldn't you like to know..."  
  
Meanwhile in the Floating Fortress, Dilandau nurses his wound.  
  
"Oh, why must you hurt so much. cheek, cheek, cheek, cheek, cheek, cheek, cheek, cheek, cheek..." Dilandou then pressed a finger on the wound and cause fresh blood to ooze out.  
  
"Lord Dilandau, you shouldn't touch the wound lie that." Gatti suggested.  
  
"What?!" Dilandau punches Gatti in the face and grabs him."Do you feel the pain in my heart?"  
  
"I... I'm very sorry." Dilandau throws him to the ground.  
  
"Oh my face, he damaged my beautiful face..."  
  
"Lord Dilandau!" Shester said as he walked in.  
  
"What!"  
  
"Lord Folken..he..."  
  
Back outside on the bridge.  
  
"Why...why're you with Zaibach?" Van asked  
  
"Fanelia's Folken is dead. On the day...that day when that dragon tore off my arm...I died." We have a flashback of when he fought the dragon, and then it closed its eyes, as if it is dying, and then Folken stood down. Then, the dragon popped its eye back open and bit off Folken, arm. The Dragon hovers over him."I was ready to die...Then,( The dragon blinked its eyes and so did Folken, and it left) it was Lord Dornkirk who gave me another life. He taught me how to live again.  
  
Hitomi runs through the Market Place.  
  
"Hey, what's happened?"  
  
"I saw another bad vision."  
  
"Oh, don't... It's never a joke when you say it."  
  
"Excuse me, where's the port?"  
  
"It's over there."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Dilandau, in his Guymelef heads towards the exit of the fortress.  
  
"Wait, Lord Dilandau! Folken ordered us to restrain ourselves while we're anchored! "  
  
"Who said anything about leaving the Vione. It'll be okay if I don't get out, won't it?" The exit opens. Dilandau aims at Van. "Van..."  
  
Meanwhile.  
  
"Van, you're my brother, the one with whom I share the same blood. I can see through your mind. This world is too tough for a gentle person like you, is it not? Not just people, but all forms of life kill each other in this world. Killing the beast, killing the dragons, killing the people... War causes another war, and the massacre continues. That's the fate of the world."  
  
"Zaibach is the very cause of war!"  
  
"Our war is to end war... ...to create new world order in this world. This is a true holy war."  
  
"A war that will end all wars...heh, I think you'll find that there is no such thing."  
  
"Van, come with me...so that we can create a new world." Folken spreads his arms as he seems to welcome Van.  
  
"Brother..."  
  
Merle and Hitomi runs closer to Van.  
  
"I feel bad. It's really bad. I've got to hurry." she said  
  
Meanwhile, the energists on Dilandau's Guymelef glow.  
  
"Lord Dilandou is setting his engerist to maximize to shoot out a chleama claw," Shester said as a single claw pops out of the guymelef's arm.  
  
"Bye-bye Van." Dilandau shoots a Cleama claw at Van.   
  
Hitomi tears the bottom of her dress off and tosses her dufflebag to Merle.  
  
"Take this, please."  
  
The Chleama claw nears Van.  
  
"Reach him, my claw. Tear Van to pieces."  
  
Hitomi runs down the alley. A bird gets nailed by the liquid metal and is killed.  
  
"Van! Look out!" Hitomi shouted  
  
Van notices what's coming at him, and Jayson runs to him. Hitomi pushes Van out of the way and Jayson drew his sword and then with all his might, he deflected the claw away from the two on the bridge.  
  
"Lord Dilandau!" Shester shouted as the overheated energist set Dilandau's Guymelef aflame.  
  
"What the...?" He jumps out of it as the arms fall off. "That...girl..."  
  
Van opens his eyes and finds Hitomi on top of him.  
  
"Van..." Hitomi gets off of him and sits down.  
  
"Hitomi," He looks at the smoking hole nearby."You save me, again."  
  
"I'm glad...I made it."Hitomi said trying to catch her breath.  
  
"Dilandou...How dare you interfer..." Folken said in his head as he looked back at the Vione.  
  
"Oh, so this is how Zaibach operates!" Jayson shouted.  
  
"This was not my intent."  
  
"Is that all you have to say," Van said, "...such an excuse..."  
  
"That's Van's and Jayson's older brother.."  
  
Merle runs up and hugs Van.  
  
"Lord Van! You're safe! I was so worried because she said something bad."  
  
Then, Royal Guard steps on the bridge and surrounds them.  
  
"Greetings Van Fanel, King of all Fanelia. King Aston wishes to see you..." The guard captain said  
  
"Oh really..." Jayson said as he and Van looked back to see Folken riding away.  
  
Later, Van stands in Escaflowne in the center of a large Collesseum.  
  
"Welcome, King of Fanelia. We're glad to accept you. I will guarantee your freedom and rights. However, to cement our friendship...I want you to show the potential of Escaflowne, and your skills."  
  
Millerna, Allen, Hitomi and Merle stand nearby.  
  
"You don't have to worry so much." Millerna said, "Father must have something in mind."   
  
The door opened behind Van and out came Jayson.  
  
"Oh, don't worry yourself." King Aston said, "Sir Jayson is not going to fight you."  
  
Door ahead of Van opens and out came two royal looking guymelefs.  
  
"Jayson is just going to show me his skills. Think of this as my way of welcoming you back, Jayson."  
  
"Hmp..." All Jayson could say.   
  
Van step aside and watched his brother in action.  
  
One of the suits have a sword and a shield and the other had a long spear.  
  
"Well, then...let's get started," Jayson said as he swung his sword around and walked to the center.  
  
The two royal melefs circle him and then they paused. There was a nervous silence on the field and then the one with the spear rammed at Jayson, but Jayson strifled to his left and grabbed the spear, then pulling it hard, which caused the melef to fall to the ground and Jayson took the spear and stabbed the guy's engerist.   
  
The other came from above him and slashed at his face, but missed, because Jayson dodged it, and then Jacn lift up his sword and stabbed at the melef, but he blocked with his shield. Jayson compensate by slicing across the shield and made a deep line on it. Then, he spun around and kicked the shield, which cause the line he made earlier to split the shield in half. Then he took his sword and swung it upward and knocked the royal melef's sword away and then swung back down on the back of the guy's leg and chopped it of. But then, right as the royal melef was falling, Jayson stabbed right through the guy's energist and lifted him up with it. Then, tore the melef in half. He stood down and open up. There was an emotionless look on his face and he caught eyes with Hitomi, which made her step back.   
  
This person was neither of the Jaysons that she knew. He was someone else...  
  
The king applauded him.  
  
"Well done, well done," King Aston said, "I wouldn't have expected anything less from someone I'd call my god-son."  
  
"Thank You," Jayson said as he returned back to normal..  
  
Now it is Van's turn. Jayson walked away toward King Aston and the others and stood down his suit, but stayed in. He passed Van before that and said something to him.  
  
"Go for it...Van," Jayson said, "I believe in you..."  
  
The words slightly shockd Van in some way, cause Jayson had never once said something encouraging to him, ever. This confused him, but yet gave him some inspiration.  
  
Then, The door in front of Escaflowne opens. A Guymelef comes out. It was yellow and had a mean look in its face plate. Its weapon of choice was a chain blade. The guymelef holds the chain and let the blade swing back and forth like a pendulium.  
  
"That's Sajima's Guymelef." Allen explained in shock, "He's no knight. He's just a bounty hunter who makes money from war."  
  
Van closes Escaflowne's hatch and takes out its sword.   
  
"Where's this nervousness from?" Hitomi said in her head, "I have a bad feeling."  
  
Then, she heard another voice in her head.  
  
"You've been having that bad feeling since you were at the bazaar. In fact, you've been have bad feelings since we came here." Jayson's voice echoed in her head.  
  
"Jayson...you-" she was cut off from who she just heard as a door behind Escaflowne opens and two more Guymelefs come out. Then, Hitomi has her vision of Van being struck by lightning again."That bad feeling is still there. Was that vision of misfortune warning me about this? Do you know what this mean Jayson?"  
  
"You tell me..." Jayson responded in a voice that would tell that he knows the answer.  
  
Above, King Aston talks to Meiden, a rich merchant.  
  
"That Melef is as magnificent as rumors say. We're fortunate to see Ispano's Guymelef with our own eyes, aren't we?"  
  
"Are you satisfied with only seeing it, Meiden?"  
  
"It stimulates my blood as a merchant. However, we can't determine the true potential of a Melef without seeing it fight. I'm not satisfied with a rogue like him. Why didn't you have Allen fight him?"  
  
"I'll save Allen for another time. Just watch how my plan unfolds."  
  
Below, Jayson hears everythiong the king said.  
  
"What are you planning father?" Jayson asked  
  
Van stands alone in the battlefield, but there was a look of determination in his face. Will he succeed, we shall see....  
  
To Be Continued................ 


	5. Chapter IV

The Visison of  
  
Escaflowne  
  
Episode IV  
  
Was it all just dream...or maybe a vision?...No it was real. I met Princess Millerna in the Capital of Asturia, Palas...Palas, where Jayson is the crown prince...and Van saw his brother again. An ominous vision about an attack against him hasn't ended yet. This is Palas, a beautiful city, which smells of the ocean.  
  
Escaflowne is surrounded by 3 Guymelefs in a large stadium. They all get into attack positions. Sajimas swings his chain blade around and around, and the rest just get ready to charge.  
  
"What a good deal to fight against a kid. " Sajimas said  
  
"The one who draws first blood is supposed to get half the prize, right?" the other bounty hunter said.  
  
"Guess I'll be having a good drink tonight." the mercenary said  
  
"Van..." Jayson said  
  
"Lord Van..." Merle said  
  
Van looked left and right and then set his eyes forward and then remembers what Jayson said to him.  
  
"Van...I believe in you....go for it....."  
  
Then,  
  
"Prepare yourself!" Sajimas shouted as all three charged at Van.  
  
Unexpected Partings  
  
The soul is the body,  
  
and the body is the soul.  
  
They are indistinguishable.  
  
Do no fear for the   
  
destruction of either  
  
Van turns around and knocks one of the green melef's sword up into the air and then smacked at it some more. Then, slams the hilt of his sword into it's energist, which cause it to explode. Then, Sajimas throws his chain blade at him, but the shot was deflected, and Sajimas came close and they crossed weapons. Then, Van reached for the guy's energist and crushes it with his hand, and it fell. The last one charged at Van and stops. It seems that Van was stabbed, from the looks of it, but it was quite the opposite. The last guy's energist is impaled on Escaflowne's sword.  
  
"S...so strong."   
  
  
  
Van pulls out his sword and as the last Guymelef hits the ground, so does the sword from earlier. Van stood down and got out. Jayson smiles and was holding a stop watch.  
  
"Well, it seems we have a world record here..." Jayson said in a proud tone.  
  
King Aston and Meiden look in shock. Allen claps.  
  
"Lord Van won!"  
  
"Excellent."  
  
Van stands out from his cockpit.  
  
"He only destroyed the Energists." King Aston said though it's a given. Then Hitomi had to get anger and complains.  
  
"Your majesty! That wasn't a competition! It..." Allen gets in front of her. "...wasn't fair..."  
  
"Three against one seems inappropriate for a fight between knights." Allen said  
  
"What're you talking about? I was showing my respects to an Ispano's Guymelef."  
  
"Such a..."  
  
"It's alright." Van said, "Sometimes, uneven fights happen in the real battlefield."  
  
"You're indeed the King of Fanelia, famed for valor. That was a brave statement."  
  
"I can understand why Zaibach wants it." Meiden said,"That Melef would sell for a high a price."  
  
"Price estimate...?" Jayson said as he walked up to them, "That's just like you, Meiden."  
  
That night, King Aston toasts to Escaflowne.  
  
"Escaflowne...what a wonderful Guymelef it is."  
  
"It has the beauty to enchant people's hearts." Meiden said," Speaking of beauty, it can't surpass Princess Millerna or Princess Eries's beauty."  
  
"Oh, Meiden..." Milerna said  
  
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid that Zaibach might get wind of it because of its beauty." An advisor said  
  
"What should we do?"  
  
"How about camouflaging Escaflowne as one of our Guymelefs?" Jayson responded  
  
"I see. So we hide a tree in the forest. What do you think, King of Fanelia?"  
  
"It's up to you..." Van said as he left...  
  
"Hmp...Van always has a tendency to leave unproperly," Jayson said  
  
"Van..." Hitomi said  
  
"Excessive beauty is a sin, don't you think, Allen?" Jayson asked  
  
"Your name is Hitomi, right?" Meiden asked Hitomi   
  
"Y...yes."  
  
"I heard that you're Allen's companion. Where are you from?"  
  
"I...I'm..."  
  
"I know. It's mysterious..." Milerna said, "I hear that she's from a far country with unusual customs."  
  
Hitomi gives Millerna a dirty look and drinks from her wine glass.  
  
"This is good."  
  
"She's unusual indeed, drinking Vioner in one gulp." Meiden said  
  
"Princess, that's not an appropriate subject for this occasion." Allen said to Melerna  
  
"Meaning what?"  
  
"It's only about a maid, is it not?" Hitomi drinks more.  
  
"Then, Allen, why don't we have a talk? You didn't come to the bazaar."  
  
"I'm sorry, but once I feel relaxed I will."  
  
"Promise me, Allen."  
  
"Jayson," Eries said, "Since you were away for so long, Millerna's gotten engaged to Meiden's first son."  
  
"Is that true?" Jayson said to Merlerna, who gives him one of those 'yes, but it's not a good thing face' "I see."  
  
"Sister..." Milernea said quietly.  
  
"I thought that's what you were going to talk about." Eries said  
  
"That's good news. Congraulations, Princess." Allen said  
  
"I haven't accepted yet. Father's gone ahead of me..."  
  
"It's for your happiness..." King Aston said  
  
"Besides, I haven't seen him in years.  
  
"About that, how is Dryden anyway?" Jayson asked  
  
"He stays on board ship, and he never comes home." Meiden explained, "He has to at least show his face on the date of the marriage, I guess."  
  
"I guess," Jayson said in a sarcastic tone.  
  
Hitomi thinks to herself as she drinks once again.  
  
"Allen's free." Hitomi said to herself, but little is known to her that Jayson heard every word and smiled.  
  
Meanwhile, in the Floating Fortress Dilandau scratches at a wine bottle with a knife then throws the knife at it, causing it to smash on the ground. He gets up maniacally.  
  
"Folken! I hate waiting"  
  
"I know roughly where the dragon is. You don't have to rush."  
  
"Why don't you capture the dragon now? Lord Dornkirk will appreciate that."  
  
The door opens.  
  
"I'm coming in." Gatti said  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Sir. His Excellency, General Adelfos has sent us a message."  
  
"From His Excellency Adelfos...? Read it."  
  
"Yes, sir. 'We're ordered to occupy Freid. We'll head for Asturia with my army."  
  
"One of the Four Generals himself...? The location of the power spot has been found... huh?"  
  
"Then, what Lord Dornkirk's been looking for was finally..."  
  
"The Destiny Predictor spotted the shadow of the dragon. Capture it before the operation begins."  
  
"Alright!"  
  
"Postscript... 'Don't have too much fun.' That was-" Dilandau slaps Gatti. "That was all."  
  
"Our army has to use Asturia's port as a cardinal point to advance to Freid. He's advising you not to upset Asturia with your careless actions."  
  
"Why don't we seize the port? I just want to repay my debt to him. "  
  
"You can have revenge after you capture him."  
  
"Can you bring your brother before me? You don't care about him?"  
  
"I am the man who destroyed my homeland."  
  
Allen brings Hitomi to bed and puts the covers over her.  
  
"Allen..." Eries said  
  
"Princess Eries... Princess, what is it?"  
  
"Don't fascinate Millerna any more. I know Millerna's tempted by you, but you're... ...you're confusing her with Marlene. Millerna resembles her more and more everyday. It's reasonable to remember my sister. But Millerna isn't her. I don't want to see Millerna in sadness. Women have to grieve all the time."  
  
"I'll never fall in love again." Eries sees Hitomi.  
  
"Liar." She leaves.  
  
Meanwhile on the roof, Van practices with his sword. He slashed downward and then swings it back up and then over his head. The whole thing was tiring to him. Allen arrives and sees him.  
  
"Van. I'll play your opponent. "  
  
Van and Allen battle.   
  
"His skills has improved drastically in a short period of time. However..." They crossed swords and then backed away, then charged again. Van charges Allen, but Allen blocks. Allen pushes him back."His style is too desperate. At this rate... He'll endanger himself"  
  
Allen pushes Van into a column and knocks the sword out of his hands. Millerna, and Jayson, who had been watching, claps.  
  
"Your swordplay was beautiful as usual, Allen." Millerna said  
  
"Princess, this isn't the time for a lady to be wandering around."  
  
"Oh, but this isn't the time for practicing the sword either."  
  
Van picks up his sword and leaves with Jayson following,  
  
Millerna puts her hand on Allen's cheek.  
  
"Allen..." but Allen pushes it aside.  
  
"Princess...you're already engaged."  
  
"That was my father's decision. I... Allen, why don't you understand my feelings?"  
  
"Princess Millerna..."  
  
"Allen..."  
  
Van walks down the stairs and sees Hitomi coming up.  
  
"Wha...? Did you drink too much, too?" Jayson asked Hitomi  
  
"It'd be better not to go upstairs." Van said  
  
"I'm hot, so I'm going to cool myself down in the wind." Van walks by and glances at her then continues on.  
  
"What's with him? He's strange." Hitomi reaches the top and sees what's happening.  
  
"Why do you always call me Princess? I love you, as a woman."   
  
"Allen and Millerna..." Hitomi said in shock in her head.  
  
The Milerna sees her, who hides behind a column.  
  
"Allen..."  
  
"Princess..."  
  
"I'll give up everything for you... My father and this country... "  
  
"Millerna..."  
  
Just as they were about to kiss, Hitomi starts crying and runs away.  
  
"Hitomi!" Allen starts to go after her, but Milerna grabs his arm.  
  
"Allen...stay with me..."  
  
Alllen was tore apart inside and out...  
  
Hitomi runs down the stairs.  
  
"I'm a fool. It's only natural that he has someone he loves." Hitomi said to herself, as she continues to run crying," We only met recently... I'm a fool."  
  
Meanwhile Merle sits on the roof.  
  
"The city lights are beautiful. The night view in Fanelia was also beautiful. The stars were shining so brightly... It was beautiful."  
  
Five creatures hang from the ceiling. Hitomi runs in crying and jumps on the bed.  
  
"Hitomi. What happened? Hey, are you crying?"  
  
"Leave me alone!"  
  
"You are crying. Hey, why're you crying? Why?"  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
Hitomi throws a pillow at Merle and knocks her off the bed.  
  
"Why'd you do that?! Keep crying, then" Merle leaves and jumps on the roof where she met Jayson again."Ah, don't scare me like that!"  
  
"What's wrong?" Jayson asked  
  
"Oh Hitomi is cryong for some reason."  
  
"Oh jeez, I told ner not to go up there."  
  
Jayson jumps down and walks up to her.  
  
"Hitomi?" Jayson sits on the bed where Hitomi was pouring rivers of tears on the pillow.  
  
"Go away!" She jumps back up and thinking it's Merle again, but drops the other pillow when she sees Jayson's face,"Oh Jayson!"  
  
She embraces him and cries some more on him. This, Jayson was not used to and he felt a little wired. Yet he remained calm and tried to soothe her.   
  
"I'm here Hitomi stop crying. I don't think what you saw was entirely true. Allen was not trying to advance on Milerna. I think Allen does have feeling for you."  
  
After what seems to be forever, Hitomi calms down.  
  
"Thank you Jayson....you are always there for me..."  
  
"Hey, what are friends for..." Jayson covers her with the bed sheets and kissed her on the forehead," Get some rest."  
  
Jayson leaves the room and closes the door. Then, he leans on the door and takes out a small primative looking picture, but it seemed to be ahead of its time since its in color. On it was a girl about the age of 14. It was a very old picture about 7 years. The girl had long blonde hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a small crown that had three golden triangles that form a big one. Jayson had a flashback of the time he took the picture. He remembers the girl kissing him afterwards. Jayson smiled at the picture.   
  
The he heard struggling noises from the room behind him and rushed in.  
  
"I heard King Aston demanded a lot in return for her." one of the geckos said  
  
"Meiden's dilettante." another said  
  
"Hitomi!" He saw the three Gecko men on the ceiling jump down and capture Hitomi.  
  
Jayson drew his sword and attack, but two got in his way. He killed the two and tried to reach for Hitomi who was bagged, but the last geckos jumped off the balcony and into the water below, and into a submarine.  
  
"Damn it! She was sold off! That blasted Meiden, I'll have his head for this!" Jayson slammed his fist on the stone guard rail which made a crack. He turned around and looked at Merle for a second," Merle go find Van. Tell him about Hitomi!"  
  
Jayson ran out the door.   
  
"Help me! Someone...!" Hitomi shouted inside the sub, but only her voice echoed in return,  
  
"No one can hear you."  
  
"Even a Guymelef can't do anything underwater."  
  
"Allen..." She remembers what happened earlier. No, he won't come. They left the castle.  
  
Meanwhile, on the Floating Fortress...  
  
"We're doing our best to search for it..." King Aston said" ...but Asturia's so big, we don't have enough men to search for one Guymelef."  
  
"If so, please allow us to search." Folken said," I'll use my men to find Escaflowne."  
  
"You're so interested in that Guymelef. I want to know the reason why you're so intent on capturing it."  
  
"Indeed..." The door knocks.  
  
"Enter."  
  
"Lord Folken, I was informed that the dragon was caught in our net."  
  
At that moment Escaflowne heads, disguised through the moat in town.  
  
"Lord Van, hurry, hurry!"  
  
"I owe Hitomi. This time, I'll..."  
  
"That way..." Escaflowne heads under a bridge tearing off it's costume.  
  
On the Floating Fortress Folken is given a picture. It seems that the technology that Austria had was not as advance as the place Jayson got the picture of the princess he had, because the one that showed Escaflowne was black and white.  
  
"This is a picture from a watchman."  
  
"It saves us a lot of time searching, doesn't it?"  
  
"I didn't notice that it was camouflaged. Dispatch the guards immediately. I didn't realize that it had already entered Palas. Folken, honor our treaty. It's a crisis in the capital. I ask that you send your troops."  
  
"You're an incredible king. Wake up Dilandau."  
  
"Well, actually..."  
  
Dilandau heads out in his Guymelef.  
  
"Van, wait for me"  
  
"I didn't think you to be a light sleeper." Folken said form the comm.  
  
"Oh I'm still dreaming, and it's getting better and better."  
  
"That's an urban area. Don't involve citizens"  
  
"I'll do my best." Dilandou sounded disappointed and then it sounded that he was lying.  
  
Escaflowne reaches a deeper section of water.  
  
"I found it!" The sub is in front of them.  
  
"We're being pursued!"  
  
"Did it come along the canal?! Dive, dive!"  
  
"Allen!"  
  
"Merle, go to the bank!" Escaflowne goes underwater. Merle climbs to dry ground.  
  
"Lord Van!"  
  
"How about that? A Melef won't be able to pursue us into the water." The ship is rocked.  
  
"What is that?"  
  
Escaflowne gets out of the water with the sub in it's hands.  
  
"Lord Van!" Van tears the top off of the ship.  
  
"Allen! What? Van... Van came to rescue me..." Escaflowne gets out of the water with Hitomi in it's hands. Merle jumps atop it.  
  
"Are you hurt?"  
  
"No." Merle unties Hitomi.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Geez. How stupid of you to be kidnapped by Geckomen."  
  
"I'm sorry that I'm stupid." Hitomi said sarcasticly  
  
However, Dilandau from above sees them.  
  
"I found you! Get ready!" Dilandou flies over them,"Van!"  
  
Dilandau lands and shoots at Van multiple times, who dodges. Dilandau swipes at Van, but Van blocks. Dilandau continues to attack him with fire, but Van continues to dodge him.  
  
"Burn!" The houses go up in flames.  
  
"The city... the city's burning." Hitomi said  
  
"Stop! Don't attack here! We can't fight here!"  
  
"It's your fault because you're here. The city's burning because you're here. My cheek aches because you're here. Die!!" Dilandau shoots at Van once more, but Van transforms Escaflowne into a Dragon and flies over him. Dilandau turns to find Scherezade in his face. "What the?!"  
  
He turns around and came face to face with Allen.  
  
"Dilandou...If you keep destroying the city, I will kill you..."  
  
"So it's you again Allen Schezar...."  
  
"Dilandou!" Jayson shouted from behind and appeared out of nowhere in his guymelef. "How dare you damage my city!"  
  
Dilandou was shocked again with Jayson's guymelef always having some new toy to play around with him everytime he shows up. This time it's an advance verison of his own stealth cloak, in which the stealth part of the cloak is the suit itself.   
  
"Not you again...Jayson..." Diloandou turned aroun to face Jayson and stared him eye to eye. Then disarmed himself. Jayson then saw something in his eyes.  
  
"There's something in the eyes that are so familiar....but what is it?" Jayson said in his head.  
  
Escaflowne flies away from Palas.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"Yes thanks." Hitomi looked back at Allen,"Goodbye, Allen."  
  
Her vision fades as she fell asleep...  
  
Hitomi wakes up home on Earth... She was dialing a number on a telephone.  
  
"Press "#" after you dial the number, then hang up." The phone operator said  
  
Hitomi dials the numbers and hangs up. She hears a beeper go off behind her.   
  
"Amano..." It's actually Allen, who's holding Hitomi's pager.  
  
The two of them hang out in town, check out some clothes, go out to eat, and use one of those 'grab a toy with a crane' things.  
  
"I gave up everything to come here."  
  
"Everything?"  
  
"My country, the war, my duty as a knight... everything, to see you."  
  
"Allen..."  
  
The two of them are about to kiss when Millerna rides up in a carriage and comes out and goes up to Allen.  
  
"Allen, did you wait long?"  
  
"Millerna!" Allen pushes Hitomi aside and instead goes to Millerna. They kiss.  
  
Hitomi watches in horror.  
  
"A...Allen...?"  
  
She looks at the tower in front of her. Suddenly, the tower card appears and the tower shatters. The ground beneath Hitomi collapses and she falls in a chasm. A winged boy flies down and saves her.  
  
Hitomi awakens. Merle and Van are next to her, cooking food over a fire.  
  
"Oh no, I fell asleep..."  
  
"You must be tired. You can sleep."  
  
"I'm alright."  
  
"Allen, help me!" you said. Why don't you give up?" Merle said Hitomi's face turns red.  
  
"Did I say something?"  
  
"You're so easygoing. We barely managed to escape. You were almost sold off by Meiden, you know?"  
  
"I know."  
  
"We wouldn't have escaped if Allen hadn't come." Merle shoves a stick with 2 bugs on it in Hitomi's face.  
  
"Here. It tastes better raw."  
  
"This's also good."  
  
"These are good, too." Merle is eating some of Hitomi's food.  
  
"That's my snacks. "  
  
"What are these?" Merle pulls some lipstick out, then a watch.  
  
"That's my lipstick and watch. When did you...?!" Merle takes out Hitomi's pager.  
  
"What about this?"  
  
"That's my pager. You can't eat that!" Merle bites on it. Hitomi tries to pull it out of her mouth, but falls over. Merle runs on top of Escaflowne.  
  
"Come down, you cat burgler."  
  
"No way!"  
  
"Geez, you stupid cat!"  
  
Later, the fire has gone out. Merle is fast asleep. Van takes out his sword and practices swinging it.  
  
"Hey, Van..." Hitomi looks at Escaflowne's energist. She holds her pendant." Don't you think they're similar?"  
  
"It's my lucky charm."  
  
"Lucky charm?"  
  
"Yes, I got this when I was little. It's a memento of my grandmother."  
  
"Who else is in your family?"  
  
"My father, mother and younger brother."  
  
"Father and mother..."  
  
"But my brother and I are always arguing. He always says too much... ...but I'm the one who's scolded. "Hitomi, you're older, aren't you?" "Hitomi, you're a high school student, aren't you?" "Hitomi, you're a girl, aren't you?" she says. It's so annoying. Father just listens with a smile on his face. I wonder what they're doing. Father... Mother..."  
  
"Both Father and Mother died when I was little. Now that Fanelia has burned and Balgas is dead, Merle and Jayson the only ones I can call family."  
  
"But that person on the bridge... you and Jayson called him "Brother..."   
  
"He's not my brother! He's... Folken is a traitor. Ten years ago, he feared fighting the dragon to become king, and ran away. Now he's with Zaibach. He even tried to kill me! Sorry, I..."  
  
"No, I don't mind... What are you going to do?"  
  
"I realized how incompetent I was after that incident. I'll practice the sword. I'll start everything after that. What are you going to do?"  
  
"What am I...? I can't go back to Allen's country."  
  
"And I'm wanted by Zaibach, but... ...do you want to come with me?"  
  
"May I?"  
  
The Next day, they near an excavation site...  
  
"A message from General Adelfos..." a Zaibach soldier said to the commander, "We're short of Energists. Hurry to the mine and take delivery. "Uh, Commander?"  
  
"I know! He doesn't care anything about this site." the commander said as Escaflowne flies overhead., "It's only a dragon."  
  
"That's a dragons' graveyard." Van said  
  
"Your fortune telling was totally wrong. Bringing us to a place like this. This place is dangerous."  
  
"I thought I read a better direction. Why...?"  
  
"No. Your reading might have hit the big one. We're going to land." Escaflowne lands nearby.   
  
"What is a dragons' graveyard?"  
  
"It's a place where dragons come to die."  
  
"What are they mining?"  
  
"They're mining the Energists from fossils."  
  
"Six Guymelefs..." Van said and got up.  
  
"What are they going to do after they mine the Energists?"  
  
"Thats..."  
  
"They're used as power sources for Guymelefs."  
  
"Yes, yes. That's it, that's it."  
  
"Van, that energist is..." Flashback to Van putting Energist in Escaflowne  
  
"Yes, Escaflowne works with an Energist as well. It's properly called a 'Dragu-Energist.'"  
  
"Dragu-Energist...?"  
  
"Guymelefs and floating ships are driven by the Dragu-Energist. that's why they're mining Energists in a dragons' graveyard. The one who has the most Energist will win a war. Stay hidden here."  
  
"Van..."'  
  
"I won't let Zaibach do as it likes."  
  
Meanwhile, a large fleet of Zaibach Floating Fortresses fly over Palas. Allen watches from his prison cell.  
  
"It's an invaison force." Allen said  
  
Meanwhile, Jayson and Milerna talks to their father.  
  
"Father, tell me the reason. Why did you put Allen in prison?" Milerna asked  
  
"We don't know what that idiot's going to do, so I want him to stay silent for a while."  
  
"What do you think he'll do?" Jayson asked  
  
"He not only helped Escaflowne escape, but he was also defying Zaibach. He's insane...and you Jayson...the reason that you are even standing here is because you are the crown prince here. It would raise questions about me."  
  
"You're the one who is insane," Jayson said, "Allowing such a fleet to enter our country! We're under their thumb, rather than their ally!"  
  
"I wouldn't have done it, if Marlene were still alive."  
  
"Marlene..." Milerna said, "I see, Zaibach's going to attack Freid Kingdom, aren't they?"  
  
"This isn't open to discussion...If you're a princess, you should be concerned about the future of your country."  
  
"My god...what have you done father..." Jayson said as he stared out at the armada of fortresses. There seems to be hundreds of them.  
  
Back at the Excavation Site...  
  
"Hey, over there... move! Don't be so slow!" the commander kicks another guy over.  
  
Escaflowne flies near the site.  
  
"Another dragon..." Then, Escaflowne swoops down,"It's not!"  
  
Escaflowne transforms into humanoid mode and lands nearby.  
  
"A Guymelef...!"  
  
"Enemy attack, enemy attack! Guard squad, move!"  
  
Van chops the arm off an attacking Guymelef. He attacks another one behind him and stabs it's energist. He notices a nearby Energist Warehouse.  
  
"An Energist depot...? If I destroy it..."  
  
Another Guymelef attacks. Van chops off it's arms. One of them crashes near the Commander.  
  
"That's the Escaflowne Dilandau's after."  
  
"I wonder if he's alright." Hitomi said  
  
"Lord Van..." A salamander crawls in front of them. Merle grabs it, but it's tail falls off and it runs away. A soldier who was standing behind them grabs them.  
  
"No! "  
  
"Wait."  
  
"Help me!" Merle escapes and runs away." Merle! You heartless cat!"  
  
Escaflowne knocks over another Guymelef, crashing near a group of men that watch in shock. A bulldozer like Guymelef charges Escaflowne, but he dodges and stabs it through the middle.  
  
"That will be enough!!"  
  
"What?" Van turns around.  
  
The Commander holds a sword to Hitomi's neck.  
  
"Van..."  
  
"Get out."  
  
Later, Van is being whipped. Hitomi is being held by 2 soldiers.  
  
"Stop! Please, stop!" One of the soldiers whacks Hitomi in the head with a pole. Merle watches from nearby, hiding under a tarp.  
  
"What should I do?"  
  
"Van..." The Commander walks up to Van.  
  
"You're the dragon Dornkirk's looking for, right? Now, speak to me."He punches Van."What's your purpose here? How did you find this place? Damn, he's not a cooperative kid.(he kneels in front of Hitomi) I'll introduce my friend to you, little girl. She's Nina. You'll die instantly if she bites you. But it's okay, because she listens to me very well. Now Nina, introduce yourself to her."  
  
The snake approaches Hitomi.  
  
"Stop. Leave her out of this!...Stop now!" but Van was powerless to do anything. Nina wraps herself around Hitomi.  
  
"Well Nina, give her a kiss to show your friendship. Give it a little love."  
  
Nina approaches Hitomi's face. Her tongue sticks out. Suddenly, a beeping noise goes off.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"W...what's that?"  
  
Merle hears the beeping coming from her.  
  
"What's this?" She goes through her clothing looking for the source of the noise and finds Hitomi's beeper going off. "It's this...?"  
  
Merle turns the thing off.   
  
"What? It's gone."  
  
"Was it a spy's whistle."  
  
Van eyes the soldier's sword in front of him, he kicks, it, causing it to fly in the air and slice off his binding. Van quickly disposes of the 2 soldiers in front of him and takes out another near. Hitomi.  
  
"Van...!" Van chops Nina's head off and kills the 2 soldiers behind Hitomi. The Commander draws his sword.  
  
"Van, don't!"  
  
"Damn you!"  
  
The ground beneath him collapses and he falls down a cliff landing on his head. Van drops the sword.  
  
"Hide yourself. There are more soldiers."  
  
Meanwhile, Allen sits in his cell. Millerna comes downstairs.  
  
"Princess...! Princess Millerna. You shouldn't come here." the guard said  
  
"Oh, I got permission from Father."  
  
"I haven't been informed of that yet."  
  
"Oh no!" Millerna falls down the stairs onto the floor.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
"I might have broken my leg. Can you check it?" Millerna pulls up her skirt. The Guard looks embarringly. Then, opens his eyes and then gets shot by a gunshot.  
  
The guard dropped to the floor, and from the top of the stair well was Jayson holding a primative verison of a .45 colt revolver, but it was bigger. About ten inches in length, and the barrel was slightly over a quarter of an inch in diameter. He clicks back the hammer and runs down the stairs to help Allen.  
  
"Jayson?!" Allen shouted  
  
"Back away from the door!" Jayson aims his gun and shoots the locks and they escape.  
  
They get into a carriage and rode off to the airfield.  
  
"Freid...Zaibach's going to attack Freid Kingdom...??" Allen asked  
  
"Yes, Father's going to leave his own grandson, Prince Chid, to his fate." Jayson explained  
  
"How could he...?"  
  
"You're the only one who can prevent it from happening." Milerna said, "I'll stay by you anywhere."  
  
Back at the dragon's graveyard. Van flies Escaflowne toward the depot. Then, his energist starts to glow.  
  
"The Energist is responding to something?!" Van said.  
  
Back with Jayson, he rode the carriage with Allen and Millerna in it. He then felt a sudden surge of energy, right about the same time when Escaflowne's energist started to react.  
  
"I feel great power...somewhere...Van? Escaflowne?" Jayson sees Van in a vision and sees what Escaflowne is doing. Then, as if he is trying to talk to Van,  
  
The Energists in the depot all start glowing as well.  
  
"The Energists resonate with each other."   
  
The Energist Depot explodes, causing the ground to crack. Hitomi and Merle duck under the flying rubble. The ground all around the Excavation Site starts collapsing. The last remaining Guymelef falls into the chasm. Parts of the Excavation Site fall down. Hitomi loses her grip and falls into the chasm.  
  
"Hitomi!" Hitomi continues to fall. Van tries to fly Escaflowne down, but it was too slow. Then, he heard Jayson's voice.  
  
"What are you doing Van!"  
  
"..Brother?"  
  
"They're right behind you! Use them!"  
  
Van takes off his shirt and jumps off Escaflowne. Hitomi continues to fall, when Van, who now has wings flies down and grabs her hand.  
  
"An angel? You're..." Van grabs her hand and lifts her into his arms and flies back up.  
  
"Are you hurt?"  
  
"No, I'm find...."  
  
"Hold still, this is going to be a little rough..."  
  
Van acsends and up the chasm.  
  
Back with everyone else, the carriage reaches the top of the hill where Crusade is.  
  
"Hasn't the Boss arrived?" Teo asked  
  
"They'll notice soon." Kyle said  
  
"There they are!" Darson shouted and runs to the Enterprize.  
  
"We're here Allen," Jayson shouted and opens the door. They get out of the carriage. Eries and the Mole Man stand nearby.  
  
"Sister." Milerna said  
  
"Millerna, I'll keep this a secret from Father, but...come back to the castle with me."  
  
"I've already decided, Sister... I won't go back to the castle. I'll go with Allen! I'll leave this country!" Allen picks up Millerna and brings her in the carriage. "Allen... No, Allen, put me down! Allen, I..."  
  
Allen puts her back in the carriage and kisses her.  
  
"Millerna...take care." The carriage rides away.  
  
Suddenly, the Royal Guard arrives at the top of the hill.   
  
"Shit, they're here!" Jayson said then aims his gun and shot down a few of the guards before he joined his men." Let's go Allen!"  
  
Allen bowed Eries and runs. Crusade takes off.   
  
"Allen, I'm going to get help!" Jayson shouted to Allen, "I'll met you in Fried!"  
  
"Take care Jayson!"  
  
Millerna gets out of the carriage. "Oh Allen...I'lll never give up..."  
  
In the Enterprize.  
  
"Jerry, set a course....for the Kingdom Hyrule...."  
  
To Be Continued......................... 


	6. Chapter V

Escaflowne   
  
Intro  
  
Hyrule...the majestic kingdom.... the place of the light...the utopia of Giaea...there is no conflict here...only peace...but with the rising threat of the Zaibach empire, Hyrule took steps to keep its peace.... the main country of Hyrule is hidden from the rest of the world...away from conflict... It's a sanctuary for people who wants peace...A place where the past...the present...and the future...meet. Time is in flux there. Technology is ahead of its time. .....Hyrule...a country where magic and technology is at one....  
  
In Asturia, Jayson shouted to Allen as he leaves,  
  
"Allen I'll meet you in Fread. I'm bringing help!"   
  
"All right I'll meet you in Fread," Allen shouted back. And they departed from Palas.  
  
"Now set a course toward the country of...HYRULE. "  
  
The Country of   
  
Hyrule   
  
Only when you train your spirit and you body each day to such an extent that there are none comparable to you among your fellow samurai, will it be possible for you to defeat your enemy.  
  
  
  
The Enterprize and now heads toward Hyrule. Jayson's friends are mostly from Hyrule, but they have left their country with Jayson. The differences between Jayson's Hyrule born friends and your average citzens of Hyrule is that they are missing pointed ears. The people of Hyrule are a...variant of the human race....they are what we call on Earth...Elves. Where ever Jayson goes, his firends are not too far behind. To serve and protect him. They each owe their life and loyalty to him....why...no one knows...  
  
The group was chased by Zaibach melefs. Mostly composed of Al Satiouses.  
  
"It seems that Zaibach has upgraded their forces...giving all their pilots state-of-the-art Al Satiouses!" Jayson shouted as the Enterprize maneuvers around, but gets hit by a liquid metal shot." Land the ship at once! We must not let them damage the Enterprize too much! We are stranded if this ship goes down!"  
  
They land and drew the Zaibach melefs toward them and started taking them out. Jayson and his team weren't as bad as you think they are. They are each well known for their unique tactics, but they are best when they work as a team.   
  
Jayson backs off as he takes out his sword and stands ready. An enemy suit forms a blade and attacks, but Jayson defends and then cuts away at it. Then, cuts off the liquid metal blade and stabs the pilot inside, then moves out to another one, first jumping high and then slams down on it.   
  
Kyle in the Azreal, blocks an attack woth one sword and then chops off the enemy suit's leg with his other and then turns around and stabs behind him at the Al Satious. Then takes on two at the same time. First blocking one and then shoving it aside and bend forward to stab the other one.   
  
The Thor jumps back far enough to get a lock on an enemy and fires its big cannon at it and blows it to pieces. Then, one tried to jump him, but he quickly took out his hammer and bats the suit away. Then, swings it back in front of him to hit another one in the face, knocking it down and stabs it with its point.  
  
We move to Darson, first he dodges a claw attack, and then attacks by stabbing at his oppononents with his trident and then jets up to them and slices tem all in half. He lands on the ground in front of an enemy and launches his dragon-claw like weapon atthe enemy and impales it then throws it at another one.   
  
Gerry parries with an enemy and then lashes his big huge whipat it and knocks his opononent back and then turns around and slashes another opononent with his saber. He then started to hover a bit and flew at another enemy and punches it with his left fist.  
  
Alex dodges most of the enemy shots, since her suit is designed to be very agile, and then she takes put her blade fans and throws them at tow suits and cut right through them. Then popped out her claws and slices the remains into many more pieces.  
  
Marcus was busy throwing small axes as throwing knives and hitting his opononents, then takes out his axe and finishes what he started.  
  
Jayson's group easily took out their opononents with ease, but there were still a few more to be delt with. Then, a series of cannon shots came raining down on the Zaibach melefs and destroyed the rest of them, and then fired at Jayson's group.  
  
"Damn, where are those coming!" Jerry shouted.  
  
"It appears to be coming from the sky, within a cloud," Kyle said.  
  
"What!? what do you mean from a cloud (Explosion).."Jayson said but was knocked   
  
down by another cannon." Have Zaibach developed gunpowder already?!"  
  
"I don't think they could be this accurate!" Darson shouted.  
  
"Let's draw it from the ship," Jayson shouted then he tripped over a hill and landed in an energist mine, but not a Zaibach one." This is an engerist mine!"  
  
Then, the mine's guard melefs attacked us without giving them a warning.  
  
"Hey! Those aren't Zaibach melefs!" Carl shouted.  
  
"Who cares! If someone wants to pick a fight with us they will get what's coming! And beside, they attacked first!" Jerry shouted and charged at the enemies.  
  
Jayson's team found the new foes to be easy and not a match to them, but then about seven new targets decended form the weird cloud and came at them. The ones that seemed to be the leader ones were one was black and had a dark look upon it, another was pretty much green, and the other was pure white and seem to stand out.  
  
The black one, which seem to be the leader one landed in the center of the group formation.  
  
"You are trespassing on our mines and has attacked our forces, you will surrender." the one in black said.   
  
"And if we refused," Jayson said with his sword up.  
  
"Then Die!" The black one shouted as he charged at Jayson with the others following. Their gaimelefs were the most advanced ones Jayson's had seen. With high-tech hover jetpacks, they charge them. While Jayson's friends fought the other ones, he goes up against 2 of them. The black one and the green one. The black one has a huge jagged edged sword, but it's the opposite with the green one with a straight short sword. It had a strange triangle symbol. They fiercely fought the group, their skills were very familiar, like Jayson had met them before, but Jayson was too preoccuplied to care. Kyle took out his two swords and defend himself from one huge melef, that was as big as his, which a little taller and bigger than others. Darson faced an opponent that didn't have any weapons.  
  
"Oh, and I suppose you could defeat me?" he said sarcastically. Then his opponent popped a blade from its left arm," So I got a better one,"   
  
And he draws 2 of his swords. then his opponent drew another blade but it work like a chainsaw," What the hell??!!"  
  
His opponent attacked him, but when Darson tried to launch his claw at the enemy, but it chopped it like it was a piece of shit, "Damn!"  
  
Marcus took out his double sided blade ax and starts to bash his opponent and broke its ax," HA! I've broke your weapon, surrender while you're ahead."  
  
Then his opponent just snapped its fingers and from the mysterious cloud an ax dropped from it and it was twice the size of Marcus's ax," Oh......My.." and takes out another ax to barely able to mach the bigger one.  
  
Alex's gaimelef had some external features that makes it looked like it was a female's melef. One, the head part had some kind of long blond fur, making it look likes hair and long ones hers were. Second, the chest stands out much more than the male ones, more like breasts, in a manner of speaking. She fights the white melef that also appears to be a female one. Alexa took out her double blade fans and slashes at her opponent. Her opponent took out double shotels and retaliates with some powerful slashes of her own. Alexa defends, and attacks back, but it seems that their skills are equally matched.  
  
Kyle was trying to hold out, but his oponent was a bit more powerful than him, but his speed was a lot better, and he slides forward and then swings his leg around and trips hios oponent, and then gets back up, and seeing his oponent doing the same and they clashed again.  
  
Darson then manages to slash at his oponent's chainsaw weapon and stops the movement by hitting in between spikes. Then he swung his weapon down and stabs his and his oponent's weapon into the ground and he jumps up to kick him down.  
  
With Carlo, his opponent jumped in front of him and knocked away his cannon and then knee him in the gut of his suit with his basicly his entire body.  
  
"Oww....oh you'll pay for that!"Carlo jumped at his oponent and then knocks him into the ground and starts punching him in his face. But then was knocked back, but Carlo then picks up his hammer and slams it at his enemy, but finds that instead of the strange suit being smashed up, it just got knocked back and got a dent in its chest armor.  
  
Now back to Jayson, 2 at once, he's skills were said to be sepreme and noone was ever able to beat him. He puts his spare sword down and launches 3 crima claws at the green one. The green one did a matrix like move and dodged the claws, and fights back with a hook-shot like weapon. Jayson grabs it and pulls the green one toward him  
  
"Get over here!" Jayson shouted as he pulls the green one toward him, and does a head lock on the green melef, and gets a closer look at the golden triangle on the melef's sword. It was actually 3 small triangle that makes up a bigger one. and the other melef that Jayson has gotten a hold of, gets a close look of the symbol of Fanelia on Jayson's sword. And almost at the same time, they both said,   
  
"The Symbol of Fanelia?!!" The pilot in the green suit said  
  
"The Symbol of the Triforce?!" Jayson Shouted   
  
"WHO ARE YOU??!!" They both asked at the same time.   
  
"You have the symbol of Fanelia, what are you doing here so far from your country?"  
  
"And you have the Symbol of the Triforce, are you who I think you are,"  
  
"Of course....I'm Hylian."  
  
"We've been looking all over for you...but let me greet you in a special way....Show me what kind of Hylian warrior you are."  
  
"So are you offically challenging me...?"  
  
"(sigh) yeah pretty much.."  
  
"Then I accept!"  
  
They both continued to fight each other until they both collapsed and the rest just beat each other up. They were very powerful and an equal to all of them. After Jayson's team beat the crap out of them almost getting beat themselves, a friend of them appears. His name is Victor.  
  
"What are you doing! You idiots!" he said shouted.  
  
"What do you mean." Kyle said   
  
"Where're just beating some bad guys," Gerry said  
  
"They're HYLIANS," Victor shouted   
  
"I know that," Jayson said  
  
"What?! Why didn't you tell us, we could have killed each other!" Kyle said   
  
"Sorry about that, thought you guys needed some work out," Jayson said turning his attention to the Hyrulean melefs, "Now who are you."  
  
  
  
The black gaimelef opened up to reveal a man with evil looking eyes.  
  
"Greetings, name's Ganondorf, but my friends just call me Ganon," he said "I'm King Hyrule's second in command. I'm glad to see that your skills have not declined, Jayson."   
  
"Ganon...nice too see you again," Jayson said, "and this must be,"   
  
The next guy opened up,  
  
"My name is David." he said. "I'm Link's younger brother."  
  
"My-my, Link holds you with such high esteem...I think you could of fought better than that of which you just showed me, or is that the best you can do." Jayson said.  
  
"Good to see you, too Jayson," he replies   
  
Then the other ones followed along until the last one came in. I saw a short dress that came dropping down, then white long gloves that a royal woman wears. She has long blond hair and where a small crown with three small triangles in the middle.  
  
"Greetings friends of Jayson, I am Zelda."  
  
"A princess, who is the only heir to the throne, has no place in the battlefields," Kyle said  
  
"I've proven myself time and again that I can take care of myself outside my country." Zelda said back and seem to have taken offense.  
  
Then, Jason's voice inside Jayson's head talked,  
  
"I guess there's no women's rights act in Giaea, yet,." he said and Jayson smiled.   
  
"I nice to see you again malady," Jayson said as he walked up toward and politely kissed her in the back of her hand.  
  
"Pleasure to see you again, too Jayson. It's been 8 years."   
  
"Still as beautiful as always..." Jayson takes his hand and strokes Zelda's cheek with it and Zelda turned away, blushing a bit,   
  
"You haven't changed a bit." Jayson smiles a bit.  
  
"Well let's get back to Hyrule City." Ganondorf told us  
  
"Yeah, but well where is it," Carlo asked.  
  
Ganondorf looked up. The cloud parted and uncovered a really large flying fortress. That is way larger than any Zaibach fortress can ever be.  
  
"Come, friends of Jayson are welcome to stay," Ganondorf said.  
  
A shuttle leva ship came down and brought us to Hyrule City. Hyrule city is one of the largest flying fortress in all of Giaea, they are the first outsiders to ever to see it, except Jayson because he has been there before. Although Jayson's friends are from Hyrule, this is the first time they are in a flying military fortress this large.  
  
"It's all coming back to me," Jayson said in his head as he watches the fortress near them. "I can remember how I even have came to know about this place...but I sense something else in the air...a sense of sadness."  
  
Jayson looks at Zelda and he sees the a sad look on her face.   
  
"When she saw me, it is if she saw a ghost, but maybe that was just what she was thinking...I can't read her mind, because she is also telepathic. But I can see the look in her eyes. She is still thinking about him....it has been a few years since that someone has died...it was too much of a shock to her..."  
  
~Flashback~  
  
Location: outside a dragon's cave.  
  
Folken was 17 and I was 11. 11 years ago I followed Folken to the dragon's forest and helped him defeat the dragon there....well sort of.   
  
"I think we got it!" Jayson said,  
  
"I don't think so. It's still breathing."  
  
"Can we go home now?" Jayson then remembers," Oh wait, we must get the energist from its belly."  
  
".....No.....I don't think we should continue on this cruel tradition...We are humans, and they are beast....but despite the differences between us...all live must be cherished. We live and we die, but if I say that. Then life itself is just meaningless. To live, to fight, to die...this is a false belief that I, the heir to the throne, should throw away...I will stop this ritual so that this dragon will live another day......Do you understand this Jayson...?" Then, the dragon popped right back up and knocked me off the cliff.  
  
"Ahh Folken!!" I scream, but it was useless as when I thought I caught his hand, "Thanks Folken, AHH!!" but it was his arm that I caught.  
  
"Jayson!" Folken tried to get me but the dragon bit off his arm, sending it flying with his sword,   
  
That was when I last saw of him, until we met again in Palas, where after 11 years we were reunited.  
  
"Jayson, I thought you were dead,"   
  
"Yeah, I get that alot. Thought you were dead, too." We were interrupted by Van and the last thing he gave me before he left again, was my old sword.  
  
Now, when I fell over the cliff I thought I was a goner. Then I hit the water and grabbed onto a log. and floated out to sea. I still carried my brothers severed arm in my hand a I floated out in the ocean, but I had to let it go. For 2 reasons, first, it was disgusting and I could have gotten sick, but I took his ring and I wore it. Second. it's a severed arm! yuck! I wouldn't keep it if it was mother's. So I drifted in the sea, for a long time. I thought I was a goner for sure of that I'll die of thirst and sickness. Then I landed on a continent somewhere in the sea. Before I collapsed, I saw a girl about 1 year younger than me....for a moment I thought I swayed into another dream again, for she was the most beautiful girl I've ever seen.   
  
"Poor boy" I think that's what she said, I couldn't remember, because I was too weak. Then I woke up in a room, with someone rubbing my head with a cloth.  
  
"You should take it easy." the girl said.  
  
"Uhh...I had this terrible dream...I was trying to help...Folken...but I think his... dead...uhh"   
  
"Just relax, your safe now....here in Hyrule." She said   
  
"uhhh.....Hyrule? UH!" I got up and looked to see that it was the girl on the beach where I was found,"Where am I?! Who are you!?"   
  
"Your in the kingdom of Hyrule. What is your name, where are you from."   
  
"M...my name is Jayson Fanel, I am the second prince of the Kingdom of Fanelia...and who are you?" I asked getting my mannered voice.   
  
"Oh where are my manners...I am Zelda, the princess of Hyrule," She started to leave.  
  
"...Thank you," Jayson said she turned around   
  
"Huh"   
  
"For saving me,"  
  
"Your welcome," she left  
  
For the next 3 years, I recovered from my deep wounds and retrained my skills. I fought along side a boy called Link. He was a good friend and an excellent swordsman...but I was better. And I've proved it many times. Then, one day after I received my guymelef, the Excalibur, I left Hyrule, and went back to Fanelia. The Excalibur was sort of a going away present for me from them, and also I earned the right to pilot it. But I detoured and went to Austoria to visit my godfather, King Aston. He was like a father to me and I acted as good and loyal as a son and a knight. There I met a young knight named Allen Schizar, who has recently lost his sister and his mother. We became fast friends and the greatest knights in all of Austoria. 2 more years after that I returned to the gates of Fanelia, where I thought my family would be. So I could tell them about Folken's fate.   
  
"Jayson?!" Balgus said as I reenter the castle doors.   
  
When I told them my story, they wanted me to become King, but I refused and disinherited myself. Instead I took the liberty to train Van in the way of a true Knight for 2 more years until I think he was ready, but the slaying ground of the dragon I chose was not in Giaea, but in the Mystic Moon itself. I thought it was a death trap, but once we've reached there I realized that it was nothing like Giaea. It looks more advanced than I thought. It was there where we've met Hitomi, and my counter-part. He looked exactly like me. Hitomi mentioned that I looked extremely like Jayson, her cousin. Maybe it's the fact that we both are. With Jason's mind inside of me, I can understand more and more of my world and thought of a theory that Giaea is in an alternate dimension that can see the Earth through a rift in Space. I understand a lot of things from the Mystic Moon, or what Jason's people call it, planet Earth. We share the same thoughts together in this fusion body, but only one of our consciousness can control it at a time..  
  
"You know, you looked a lot like my cousin, Jayson. Despite you are him and he is you."   
  
Out of curiosity and since I want to ask Hitomi herself, I asked her more about Jason.   
  
"Tell me, what does he like to do and does he have any....friends he spends a lot of time with?   
  
"Can't you ask him yourself?"  
  
"Well, I want you to tell me…what do you know about him?"   
  
"Ok, he studies in bio-technology, mechanical engineering, robotics, astromey, aerodynamics, he practices all kinds of martial arts, and seems to likes swords, and he seems to have taken an interests in the military. He hangs around a group of friends, I think their names are, Gerald, Carl, Kyle, a guy called David, another guy called Daniel, and one girl, Joyce. Now if I'm not mistaken, you have some friends with similar name too."   
  
"I know. How strange, to know someone that is so similar, yet is so different from."  
  
"...Is Jason all right in you?"  
  
Jayson then looked like he was thinking of something, and closed his eyes. Then opened them to revealed a different Jason. The one from Earth.  
  
"I'm fine Hitomi...I just am not used to this sort of thing."  
  
Then, the voice change back to Jayson of Gaiea.  
  
"I just hope I can find a way to separate us." Before Hitomi left, Jayson sat there ans stared at her and bit, then she leaves.  
  
"Hey," Jason of Earth said in Jayson's head.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Are you flirting with my cousin?!"  
  
"Hmp…oops."  
  
~End of Flashback~  
  
  
  
The group walked into a lifter of some sort (I.E. elevator) and it pulled them up to the top, which seems to be the bridge of the ship.  
  
"Welcome to Hyrule City"  
  
Hyrule City, population: 40,000 soldiers, 20,000 melef pilots and fighter pilots. That includes the ones within the carrier battle group that surrounds and escorts this fortress. There is about 5,000 crew on board this fortress, that includes shipmen and soldiers. It housed 6,000 gaimelefs, 400 leva ships, and 600 Leva fighters, small leva ships that fly really fast that holds explosives tubes weapons called stingers (Like rockets) automatic machine guns. We also carry three capital leva ships on drydock, the Hyperion, the Tigerclaw, and the Sovereign, and they have several dozen other ships surrounding them. This fortress has over 100 decks and is as large as four regular Zaibach fortress combine."  
  
Jayson stood over the command console and watched. Then, Ganon approached him.  
  
"Jayson, we are refitting your suit as you have requested..."  
  
"How long until it is done?"  
  
"It will take several hours, though your suit is much more advance than any other Guymelef in Giaea, it is already outclassed by our new units."  
  
"I look forward on its new look."  
  
"Its new appearence is as you have ordered to be..."  
  
In a hanger, the Excalibur was being refitted. Its wings were covered, but there was a bit of white coming from his wings. Its green energist was being polished  
  
Elsewhere, somewhere, Hitomi wakes up from the sound of her beeper and looks at it. It said." Where are you Hitomi?! from Amono." Hitomi holds her beeper in her hand and says sadly...  
  
"Amano..." Van walks up behind her, feathers falling off of his wings. He looks at her with a sad look in his eyes." Van..."  
  
Merle wakes up and sees what's happening.  
  
"Angel wings..."  
  
"No, don't look! Don't look at Lord Van!" Merle runs up and puts herself between Hitomi and Van.  
  
"Merle..." A feather falls into her hands." This feather..."  
  
She sees a vision of a winged woman, then that woman with a man. Then, another vision of that woman at the man's deathbed. She kneels at a grave and cries while a young Van talks to her.  
  
"Mother, please don't cry." the echoing sound of young Van's voice said  
  
"This feather makes me feel sad for some reason." Hitomi said.   
  
The wind blows the feather out of her hand. She then had another vision...this time it is of the past.  
  
  
  
Hitomi floats through a room filled with candles. People are talking.  
  
"Dragon gods possess wings on their backs." someone said  
  
"Dragon gods! Draconian. They are the descendants of Atlantis."  
  
"The cursed people..."  
  
"Evil people..."  
  
"What...? Draconian...?" Hitomi said, "What are they…"  
  
"You shouldn't get close to the Dragon gods."  
  
Hitomi sees a staircase with winged people on it.  
  
"Death is the result for people who get involved with the Dragon gods."  
  
"The end of the world... They were the ones who had doomed Atlantis."  
  
The ground beneath Hitomi cracks. She falls, but Van catches her.  
  
"Van..."  
  
She then sees seven cloaked figures, and then one of them revealed to be Jayson.  
  
"Jayson...?"  
  
He too had wings of an angel on his back, and so does his comrades around him.  
  
Hitomi then, finds herself on a roof in Fanelia.  
  
"Fanelia...?"  
  
"Yes....this is Fanelia 11 years ago..." Jayson's voice said and he appears right beside her.  
  
"Jayson...you are here...how?"  
  
"I am here, but yet I am not here."  
  
"So are you even Jayson at all...?"  
  
"I am merely...a memory....something that the original left in your mind....to explain to you some things about the visions of the past that you will see....I am your...guide."  
  
"I see....so what what are draconians?"  
  
"Draconians or dragon gods, are people who posseses angel-like wings on their backs. They are the decendents of the people of Atlantis."  
  
"Atlantis…you don't mean the Atlantis-"  
  
"Yes, I do. The Atlantis legend on Earth is true. This civilization of legend and lore reportedly thrived 12,000 years ago on an island-continent on Earth. Time has shrouded the reasons for its mysterious disappearance. Let me show you..."  
  
Jayson waved his hand over Hitomi's face and the scene changed. They see an ancient looking city. It on an island surrounded by ocean.  
  
"This is Atlantis." And then Jayson showed Hitomi a huge strange machine, "And this is the Atlantis Machine. The people of Atlantis created the Atlantis Machine, a device that turned thoughts in reality. With it, the people willed Gaea, a twin planet of Earth, into existence. However, the misuse of the Atlantis Machine eventually led to the destruction of Atlantis itself. (We see the city blew up in an atomic-like blast that stretch far. The island itself sank.) The descendants, that fled to here on Giaea, of the people of Atlantis became known as the Draconians. Very few of them are left. Van, Folken, and I are one of the few that carries the Draconian blood in our veins."  
  
The scene then went back to Fanelia The two looked and see Van, just a boy stands on a nearby roof with Merle behind him. People look at him from the ground.  
  
"Lord Van... Please don't, Lord Van!" a young Merle said  
  
"What're you saying? You told me you wanted to see, Merle."  
  
"But, it's dangerous!"  
  
"It's alright, just watch." Wings come out of Van's back and he flies off the roof. People on the ground watch shocked.  
  
"He's so stupid..." Jayson said, "Any educated draconian will realize that using their wings at an early stage of their life is dangerous...cause their wings can't support the weigh of their bodies. yet. Much like a bird or any winged creature."  
  
People on the ground watch in shock. However, Van's wings aren't strong enough to support him and he falls. Van's mother, who had been on the ground with Folken and Jayson flies up and catches him.  
  
"M...Mother..."  
  
"Van, you shouldn't show your wings, alright? Until the time comes, you can't. Promise me. Don't make me feel sad."  
  
"Mother... I'm sorry, Mother."   
  
"I think you should see something else," the phantom Jayson said and he waved his arm and the whole scene change to where a group of soldiers sit by a campfire in the woods.  
  
"Liquor tastes best after a victory! It'll be a decisive battle tomorrow! We'll be the first to attack their fort!" someone said  
  
"People of Fanelia..." Hitomi said, and then she sees Escaflowne, "Escaflowne...?"  
  
We flash to two men stand alone in the woods.  
  
"Balgas... Are you going to leave after this war?"  
  
"Yes. I want to improve myself once more."  
  
"I see. We'll miss you."  
  
"My lord, the favor you provided..."  
  
"It's alright, Balgas. I want you to perfect your swordsmanship. And someday...return to me and Fanelia."  
  
"My Lord..."  
  
Gaou notices something from the marsh nearby. A woman stands there. They approach the water. Jayson and Hitomi were like ghosts in the vision as they floated through trees and right into the middle of the scene.  
  
"Who's that...?" the one man asked  
  
Then, wings come out of the woman's back.  
  
"A draconian...!" Balgas said, "...A descendant of Atlantis...an notorious demon... My Lord, it's dangerous. Please, stay back."  
  
"Hold, Balgas....She's no demon....She's beautiful. I don't care if my life is taken by a demon like that."  
  
"My Lord...?"  
  
The man walks toward the woman.  
  
"You're Gaou of Fanelia, aren't you?"  
  
"How did you know my name?"  
  
"It was foretold that tonight when the Mystic Moon hung over the mountains of the west...the destined man will arrive. It's a phrase from the foretelling at my birth."  
  
"Destiny..."  
  
"Yes, our meeting was fated you see."  
  
"...I'm beginning to see...what is your name?"  
  
"Vari."  
  
"Vari, will you come with me?"  
  
"Yes, Lord Gaou."  
  
"Oh I see, they are yours and Van's mother and father," Hitomi said, and Jayson nods and then the scene changes to Fanelia, at King Gaou's throne. Gaou's advisors talk to him.  
  
"No, you shouldn't take a draconian for your wife."  
  
"If you have forgotten, they are the cursed people who doomed Atlantis."  
  
"And disaster will come to Fanelia."  
  
"We cannot support your marriage, My Lord."  
  
"Whatever legend says, it has nothing to do with Vari. I love Vari. No one can separate Vari and I!"  
  
"Of course being what we are, Draconian's are mere mutants to this world, freaks of nature..." Jayson explained  
  
Years later, Gaou holds up a baby in his hand while Vari lays in bed and an much younger Folken and Jayson watches.  
  
"Oh, it's a boy. He's a cheerful boy. Look at him, Folken, Jayson. He's your new brother."  
  
"Father, what's his name?" Folken asked  
  
"Van. Van Fanel."  
  
Then, the entire vision went black.  
  
"Those were such happy times..." Jayson said, "but...happiness never last forever..."  
  
He waved his hand again and the black surroundings changed again. Vari, Jayson, Folken and Van stand at Gaou's deathbed. Then, the door opens, and Balgas is there.  
  
"Balgas, you've returned." Jayson shouted  
  
"Lord Gaou... I didn't make it... Lord Gaou..."  
  
Some time later, Vari cries at Gaou's grave. Van talks to her.  
  
"Don't cry mother. I'll be the king in place of my brothers. I'll be a strong man like Father. So, don't cry, Mother. Please..."  
  
Vari sits by a window and vanishes.  
  
The entire vision ends and then Van tells Hitomi the rest.  
  
"After a while, she followed my brothers, Folken and Jayson, to search for them, and entered the Dragon's Forest...She never returned to the castle."  
  
"Thank you...for telling me that...umm...Your wings... I like your wings very much. They're beautiful."  
  
"Hmp...You, Merle, and Jayson are the only ones who've said that."  
  
"Oh so you are now comparing me to her, jeez!"  
  
Later the people of Hyrule had a big feast.  
  
"To an honorable friendship and to peace...hoping we'll attain it," Ganondorf proclaimed.  
  
Jayson and everyone else raised their goblets and drank. Jayson sets his cup down and looks at Zelda at the end of the table who was looking at him the whole time he was not and quickly look another way, but Jayson saw that she was.  
  
Later that evening...Jayson finds himself wondering around the towers and then spots Zelda alone. He took the opportunity and approaches her.  
  
"Zelda..."  
  
"Jayson..." She turned away again and looked at the stars.  
  
"I can't seem to not noticed that...you were a little distracted tonight...."  
  
"..." All Zelda said  
  
"I see.....you do still think about him....I do too....I can still remember the times we had together...."  
  
"I...I can never forget about him.....his death left my heart empty....there was noone there for me...noone to comfort me....I was so alone..."  
  
Jayson held her in his arms and had this strange feeling in his eyes. He was trying not to cry, but a tear dropped out.  
  
The three years after Jayson left Hyrule. This very fortress was attacked. Its location at the time was at high attitude. The Zaibach attacked Hyrule and unprovoke. Zelda was watching over the battle on a walkway at the edge of the fortress, and got knocked down when a shot of liquid metal hit her position. She fell, but caught a metal bar, but the bar was breaking. Then, Link grabbed her hand and pulled her up. But another shot came right them and threw both off balance. Link was knocked off the ship and it seemed like it was in slow motion. Zelda caught the eyes of Link as he fell. And then heard her name...and he fell through the clouds.  
  
"...He saved me...we tried to look for him...his body at least...but we never did..." Zelda said as she continues to cry, "...for 9 years, I longed for him to come back....and…you, too. I missed him and I missed you as well. "  
  
Jayson looks down on her and she looked up and they kissed.  
  
"Don't worry….I will never leave your side again…"  
  
They continued to hold each other under the glow of Earth and the Moon.  
  
Meanwhile, Crusade heads through a tough area.  
  
"Watch out! We might crash into the ground!"  
  
"I know."  
  
"Boss, this route is very difficult. Shouldn't we gain altitude and change course?"  
  
"No. Keep going."  
  
"But..."  
  
"I know it's dangerous... ...but it's the only route to the Duchy of Freid that prevents Zaibach from noticing us. It's a sideshow which only you guys can perform, isn't it?"  
  
"You're... Guys don't let up! Let's get through this route and surprise Zaibach!"  
  
"Van, you're coming, aren't you? See you again in Freid."  
  
Meanwhile, Millerna stands on a ship in Asturia.  
  
"Sister..." Millerna said and flashes back to earlier.  
  
"Millerna!"  
  
"You can't stop me. I've made up my mind."  
  
"Abandoning your country...? Someone like you, who can't do anything, won't..."  
  
"Don't treat me like a child! I'm an adult! Both you and father always proceed with things without thinking of my feelings."  
  
"It's for your own good."  
  
"And forcing me to stop studying the medical arts, also?"  
  
"What's so beneficial about the medical arts to a member of the royal family? "  
  
"I want to help people."  
  
"As a member of the royal family you should do all you can for the people with your status. Your selfishness is a blasphemy against the people."  
  
"You don't understand! I love Allen...I'm going. Goodbye, sister."  
  
Back to the present...  
  
"Goodbye, Sister."  
  
To Be Continued............. 


	7. Chapter VI

The Vision of Escaflowne   
  
  
  
  
  
location: Hyrule fortress, Jayson's quarters.  
  
  
  
"Caption's log supplemental,  
  
We are nearing Freid, but are still unable to find Van Merle, and Hitomi, but I have faith that with the help of Hyrule that we are able to defeat Zaibach"  
  
  
  
Kai then walks in the room  
  
"Jayson, the ceremony is about to start"  
  
"I'll be right there in a moment," Jayson said then brings his attention back to his journal and wrote.  
  
"end log"  
  
  
  
Chapter VI  
  
Bewildered Warriors  
  
"Most Histories are written by the winners of conflicts, but those   
  
written by the losers-if the survive- are often more intresting."  
  
~Iblis Ginjo, From the book "Dune"  
  
Hyrule Fortress is now stationed above a forest near Freid. Inside, the crew prepares themselves for battle.  
  
Meanwhile, in a place that was a recreation of the Temple of Time, a ceremony was being held. King Hyrule was standing in front of the alter and Jayson kneeled to him. Zelda and Ganon was next to the king.  
  
"Do you Sir Jayson Aston de Fanel, second prince of Fanelia, crown prince of Asturia, take the responsibility on receiving this power. To enforce justice. To keep peace. And to only use for the good of all," King Hyrule said as he hold his sword before Jayson.  
  
"I, Jayson Fanel, accept the terms and swear to bring about eternal peace throughout Giaea…" Jayson looks up at the king and the glanced at Zelda.   
  
"Then, by the power of the Triforce, let it be done. Jayson Fanel…raise and touch the alter of the Spiritral Stones."  
  
Jayson got up and walked up to the alter that has three jewels on it a red one, a green one, and a blue one. Jayson then touches the table and then, a surge of green electricity entangled itself around Jayson. Jayson cried out a bit from the shock, but hold his hand on the stone. Then, the light stopped and Jayson removed his hand. There on his right hand was the three golden triangle, the Triforce. One of the three was glowing more brightly and then the entire thing faded away.  
  
"It is accepted by the goddesses that help create our planet. Jayson you are now receive the title, Hero of Time, and the Triforce of Courage-" Then, a loud klaxon alarm filled the room.   
  
"Please tell me that's a glich," Jerry said  
  
"We don't have gliches, "Ganondorf said turning to an officer, "Go to alert statis, everyone to their station!"  
  
As quickly as the ceremony started everyone has left New Temple of Time and went to their areas. In the bridge the command crew awaits Gannondorf and Link. Then, they came out of the lifter with disappointed faces.  
  
"Now, what did you people find that is worth stopping the ceremony!" Ganondorf said  
  
"We've detected a small detachment of Al Satiouses in the area and one floating fortress 5km from us on radar, there seems to be a fight."  
  
"What! have they started attacking already?" Ganondorf said.  
  
"No, It's a 6 on 1 and the 1's ID is an Espano type gaimelef!" Ganondorf and the rest are shocked.  
  
"On screen," Ganondorf said as the large middle window glowed and showed a Zaibach fortress, "magnafy section 4A."  
  
The screen enhanced on one point until the figures of 6 Al satious and Escaflowne came into view.  
  
"Isn't that....!" Ganondorf said  
  
"Escaflowne?" Jayson said, "Escaflowne is here."   
  
Escaflowne was out numbered, out weapon and was pinned down. Jayson then turned to his friends.  
  
"Kai, David, Jerry, You guys with me. The rest remain here remained here."  
  
Ganondorf stepped in. "I'll send in reinforcements."  
  
"I think we can take care of ourselves, and beside, it's a great oppurtunity to test out my refitted suit. I'll stay in touch." Jayson said as he and his friends leave the clouded fortress of Hyrule."Also, we don't want them to know you are here..."  
  
He passed Zelda and met her gaze.  
  
"Stay safe…" She said in his head.  
  
"I will…"  
  
Meanwhile back to Van's point of view....  
  
Escaflowne just went into a shallow lake and Dalandou and his troops jumped in, too.  
  
"Ha, you fell for it you can't use your stealth cloaks in here,"Van said   
  
"hmmm, very clever," Dalandou said as his buddies ganged up on Van, "Come on get him!!"  
  
  
  
Then, an Al Satious popped out of the water and stabbed three claws into one of Escafowne's leg and and one also shot three with the other leg, disabing Escaflowne chance to move. Dalandou's right arm sword melted onto Escaflowne's sword and with his other arm, he shot all his claws around Escafowne's head.  
  
"I gotch ya Van...it doesn't matter if you can see us or not," Dalandou said as he tightens his grip, "hmm, yeah I think I'll crush you right now."  
  
There seems to be no escape.  
  
"Oh someone please come and save Van," Hitomi said in her mind. Then, her pendent started to glow.  
  
In the floating fortress, Folken awaits news from Dalandou.  
  
"The dragonslayers had capture it's target." a solider said.  
  
"Van this ment to be…" Folken said in his head until the solider said again.  
  
"Levi ship closing from Northra quadrant, 5 more objects coming from the south."  
  
"What??!"  
  
The Leviship was the Crusade and Allen in his gaimelef popped out. The others were Jayson and his friends. Allen lunged toward the surprised Dalandou.   
  
"Allen!" Van shouted.  
  
"It's good to see you Van," Allen said   
  
"ALLEN!!" Hitomi shouted at her hero  
  
"Hitomi" Allen said  
  
Dalandou got mad.   
  
"UHHH, just what I needed, ALLEN SCHIZAR!"  
  
He fired his claws at Allen, but Allen blocked it and breaks the claws.   
  
Then, Jayson and company appeared. He's new wings spread from his cap to revealed to be angel ones. They had a majestic, yet had a deadly look to it. From his sides he drew two long swords and swiped at his enemies with simple grace.   
  
"We're here...." Jayson said   
  
"Jayson!" Van shouted  
  
"Good to see you brother,"  
  
Dalandou got even more angrier.  
  
"Oh great, you're all here, I can destroy you all at the same time!"  
  
Jayson slams his swords at Dalandou hard, Knocking Dalandou down onto the water but he pop right back. When Jayson locked his sword with Dalandou's and, the Al satious's formed sword started to melt, because Jayson's sword is heated, to improve the cutting ability.   
  
"Take this Zaibach scums," Victor said taking out a staff-like weapon and a long blade popped out of the top. Then he spun it around, over his head and sliced 3 Al satiouses in half from the torso, like they were nothing, but the pilots still survived and ran away That just leaves Dalandou and 2 more of his men.  
  
"That's it I finish you off Van!!" Dalandou said as he fired another five claws at Van.  
  
Van quickly deflected the onslaught, but in doing so deflected some at Hitomi and Merle. They both screamed as the claws zoomed too close for comfort.  
  
"Quickly Jayson!" Allen said as he and Jayson rushed to block the claws. Jayson made a dive and stopped one claw, but though Allen stopped the other, it pierced his armor and puntcured his stomach. He cried out in pain.   
  
"Allen!" Van shouted out with no answer from the fallen knight. He charged Dalandou with full force.   
  
Back in the Zailbach fortress, Folken is iritated by Allen and Jayson appearing on the scene, but as if situtation wasn't getting worser on his side....  
  
"Freid convoy approaching, sir," an officer said to Folken.  
  
"Huh," all Folken could say as six Freid leva transport approaches the battlefield, "Dalandou retreat at once, if Freid catch a wind of our plan will be in trouble."  
  
"Uh, damn! Just when I was starting to have some fun," Dalandou said flying away.  
  
"Hey come back and fight you coward!!" Kai shouted  
  
"Allen are you alright!?" Hitomi shouted but Allen was too much in pain to respond  
  
The gang took the injured Allen to the lead Freid convoy ship. They patched up his wounds as bestly as possible, but he is still bleeding. Though Allen is unconcsious, he was still in deep pain.  
  
"What do you mean your don't have a healer on board?!" Gadess said  
  
"We're just a trading ship, we don't have a healer that can handle a wound like this!" The ship's captain said.  
  
"Damn it!" Jayson said as he slams his fist on the table, "Stay with us Allen."  
  
Just then a mysterious figure came in.  
  
"Is that you Gadass? the voice said. It was Milearna.  
  
"Princess Milearna?!" Gadass said surprised  
  
"Milearna? What are you doing here? Father will be very upset with you!" Jayson said still treating her like any big brother would.  
  
The princess looked around,   
  
"Well looks like everyone is together again, what's wrong is someone hurt?" she looks over Jayson to see Allen, "Allen! Allen say something!"   
  
She touched the wound and sees that he's still bleeding,   
  
"Oh no, he's losing blood. What are you just standing there Gadess, do something, he's not going to last much longer."  
  
"I'm sorry, but they don't have a healer aboard," Gadass sadly said  
  
"What, captain! there's no healer aboard," Milearna asked and recieved a shaking of the head by the Freid captain.  
  
"Why don't you do it princess?" Moleman said  
  
"What?"  
  
"You spent most of your time studying medicene,"  
  
"Yes, but I've only studied it in books, I've never done it on a live.."  
  
"That's alright, you want commander Schizar to live don't you, only you can say him,"  
  
"Hmmmm..... alright, Mr. Mole, hand me my blue bag, please,"  
  
"Is this it," Mole said bring out the bag from behind him  
  
Milearna, Gadass, and Jayson was in a make shift operation room and started to work on Allen.  
  
"Alright, the medicene should has worked by now," She said looking at a book, "Jayson, Gadass, hold him down to keep him from moving."  
  
"Yes ma'mam," Gadass said holding Allen down  
  
Hours pass and still no word about Allen. Hitomi prays outside, "O God please help please, I'll do anything.."  
  
Van goes up and put a hand on her shoulder, "Van...."  
  
Then Milearna walked out the room, "The operation was a success."  
  
"They Allen is ok now," Van said  
  
"Yes but he's still unconious under the medication.(gasp)" She callapsed, but Jayson caught her.  
  
"Milearna!!" Jayson shouted, "You alright sis."  
  
Location: Freid  
  
Time: 7:00:00 A.M. GST (Gaiea Standard Time)  
  
The group has finally reached Freid.  
  
"It was fortunate that Princess Millerna was aboard" Van said  
  
"We'll be able to enter Freid easily with her and Jayson aboard," Gadess added  
  
"Why's that, "Van asked  
  
"Well you see Milearna's older sister, Marlene was married off to the ruler here,"  
  
"Princess Marlene?"   
  
"Yes. Asturia's eldest princess, she got sick and died two years ago, leaving a very young son behind, the prince of the Dutchy of Freid." Jayson explained, "I only saw her once before I left to go back to Fanelia."  
  
Jayson, Van, Milearna, Gadass, and Hitomi knelt in front of the young prince  
  
"The third princess and the crown prince of the kingdom of Astoria, Princess Milearna Sarah Aston and Prince Jayson Aston De Fanel are here to see you," The Boris the chief of guards said  
  
"Thank you for coming such a long way. The Duke is in another part of the country, so I welcome you in his place" the young prince said  
  
"Chid... is that really you?" Milearna said  
  
"Yes. It's so wonderful to see you again, Aunt Millerna," Clid said, "nice to see you too uncle Jayson"  
  
"You've grown so much since the last time I saw you kid," Jayson said. Chid looked at a ring that used to belong to his mom.  
  
"Aunt Milearna…I heard that Allen Schezar has come with you 2 also. Is that him over there? I've heard about him when Mother was alive. She said Allen was the greatest knight in all of Gaiea, and can be found in Astoria, The Invincible knight, gallent Guymelef pilot...I've always wanted to see him," Chid said. Van bent away in shame.  
  
"Highness you are mistaken....this is Jayson's brother, Van Fanel, the reigning King of Fanelia," Boris said  
  
"Oh, my deepest heart felt apolizges Fanelia, I most heartly welcome you to Freid, feel free to think of my country as yours," Chid said standing  
  
"It's good to have Freid's friendship," Van said  
  
"Aunt Milearna, Where is Allen anyway?"  
  
They went to see Allen in another part of the castle.  
  
"He'll be alright. His pulse is stable. It's about time for him to regain consciousness." A doctor said  
  
"Yes, doctor." Milearna added  
  
"It's hard to believe, that Allen Schezar would fall in battle.. I've should of known that there is no such thing as an invincible knight. The story my mother told me was only a fariy tale," Van slumped in more shame.  
  
Allen awakens  
  
"Allen!" Hitomi said  
  
"Boss!" Gadass said  
  
"Hitomi... Princess Millerna..." Allen said. he looks at Chid  
  
"Allen, this is Prince Chid of the Duchy of Freid..." Jayson said  
  
"Allen" Chid said  
  
Allen looks at Chid and has a flashback of Princess Marlene  
  
"That ring... Prince Chid...?"  
  
"How do you feel, Sir Allen?" Chid said. Allen gets up.  
  
"Prince, your country is planning on attacking by Zaibach. please, grant me an audience with your father, the duke, Their going to attack very soon, urg!" Allen holds his stomach in pain.  
  
"Allen!" Hitomi shouted at the same time  
  
"Prince Chid......Allen left his home country, and was branded a disgraceful man, to tell you what's happening. Your mother's story is no lie. He's a true knight," Van said  
  
"Allen.." is all the prince could say  
  
Later, Jayson, Van, and Gadass meets Boris and have a chat..  
  
"I still can't believe it. Why would Zaibach...?" Boris said  
  
"If you interogate the captured Zaibach soldier, it will all be made clear" Van said  
  
"I've already made arrangments for that." Jayson said  
  
"Arrangments...?" Gadass asked  
  
"With the Duke away, we must be careful about the prisoner's interrogation." Boris said, "He's a stubborn one."   
  
Meanwhile, in the Floating Fortress...  
  
"The dragon's run to Freid." Folken said  
  
"Do tell?" Dalandau said  
  
"Along with their prisoner...?"  
  
"Don't worry. You see Miguel's one of my men, He would sooner die than talk." said all confident  
  
"That maybe so However, Freid has Plactu."  
  
"Who's that?"  
  
"Plactu is... He's a priest who is a master in hypnotic suggestion, I believed that he taught Jayson the same techniques as well." Folken explained. We see Plactu meditating, "He will be able to uses those techniques to extract information from the further recesses of the in mind. it's already confirmed that he's already on his way for Godasim."  
  
"Urg, he'll ruin everything!!." Dalandau said  
  
"Zongi." Folken said  
  
"What did you say? ug What's this smell?" An extremely pale man appears next to Dilandau  
  
"ah!...but he's a doppleganger,"  
  
"I have an assignment for you, Zongi." Folken commanded  
  
"What is your wish, Lord Folken" it said, "My life is yours,"  
  
Meanwhile, back at the castle, Hitomi stands on the balcony. Millerna shows up.  
  
"Hitomi,"  
  
"Princess Millerna "  
  
"Here, I think you forgot this," Milearna hands Hitomi her duffle bag  
  
"That's my duffle bag, how did you?"  
  
"Well, I felt like I'd see you again. We'll be together for a while. so be friends ok, Hitomi"  
  
"Woman's intuition, huh...?"  
  
Meanwhile, Dilandau hides in the mountains while a ship passes by. Dalandau stand there inpatiently really wanting to fire.  
  
"That's the ship...? I could destroy it with a single blow,"  
  
"At your discrision Lord Dalandau," the thing said  
  
"Alright, I'll tell you," Dilandau activates his steal cloak and aims his arm, with Zongi on it, "I can't believe he's using a doppelganger."  
  
He extends a metal claw, which Zongi jumps on. He shoots it at the ship, and Zongi jumps aboard, vanishing into the ship.  
  
"You got wierd taste Folken,"  
  
Back at the castle...  
  
"You're unreasonable, following me..." Allen said to Milearna   
  
"I know what you're really thinking. You didn't leave just for Freid, right? You're worried that Zaibach will attack Asturia someday. Someday, Father will understand...how much you care about Asturia." Milearna said  
  
Outside in a courtyard, Hitomi, Van and Merle waits there.  
  
"What could be the matter this early in the morning, Van? Merle, why did you come?"  
  
"I'm worried about leaving you two alone."  
  
"Uh...Why?"  
  
"You've pointed out the invisible Guymelefs many times. In order to fight them on equal footing, your ability...your ability is necessary. Tell me how to find the invisible enemy.Please Hitomi, Ican't fight them if I can't see them!"  
  
"Oh, ok, Strongly imagine what you want to find in your mind. That's all. When you feel the object, the pendant starts to swing in that direction. When you get used to it, you'll only need to imagine the pendant in your mind. Now what should we look for?"  
  
"Me!... you have to look for me Lord Van," Merle runs and hides in the bushes Chid meanwhile wonders what they're doing,"What are they doing?"  
  
"I don't know," Boris said  
  
Merle hides,  
  
"Lord Van will surely sind me."  
  
"Imagine her in your mind. Calm your heart, and concentrate. As clearly as possible. You can do it slowly until her figure appears. Yes, pointy ears, curly hair... ...her bug-eyed, a tail, that annoying personality..and what's with that nose?"  
  
"Urg! I'm going to use her as a scratching post,"Merle said  
  
"urg! I can't!" Van said  
  
"Then you have already lost, brother," Jayson said walking in, not seeing where Merle is. "Don't give up. You won't be able to do it easily at first, but anyone can, once they get used to it. You need to free your mind..."  
  
"I can't do it," Van said giving up again  
  
"Hitomi, why don't you so Van how it's done," Jayson said  
  
She holds the pendant in front of her and senses where Merle is, and points to on of the places that Jayson said, "There!"  
  
"Right, like I'm going to stand up," Merle stubborningly said.  
  
"Merle!" Van shouted and Merle jumped  
  
"I'm here Lord Van, you've found me!" Merle said continuing to jump, Hitomi smiled and Van was speechless. Jayson clapped, but then stopped and looked skyward. Van noticed him.  
  
"What's wrong Jayson?" Van asked  
  
"Uhh, nothing...sorry," Jayson continued to look skyward. He felt an evil presence. A plot was brewing and he can smell it a mile away.  
  
Meanwhile on his ship, Plactu senses a killer, "Hmmmm, an assinsin,(getting up) Your pretty good without me noticing, but you won't beat me that easily, hmmm"   
  
Zongi grabs him and sucks out his life through his mouth. He transforms into him and drops his corpse.  
  
"Yes, excellent,"it said in Plactu's voice, "This is an excellent body........"  
  
To be continued....................... 


	8. Chapter VII

The Vision of  
  
Escaflowne   
  
  
  
Captain's Log, supplmental,  
  
As the Zaibach fleet looms ever so closer to FRied, we prepare ourselves for battle. But before that, we must confirm this. So I've sent for my old master, Platcu, who taught me everything there is to know of the mind and the power of it. He's even trained me to be better than himself.   
  
He'll be here soon, but...I feel something strang in the air. I must be careful....  
  
End Log...............  
  
"It's the crack of dawn Van what did you want to see me for?"  
  
"You were able to point out the invisible Gaimelefs...... .Please Hitomi, I can't fight them if I can't see them!"  
  
"Oh, ok...Strongly imagine what you want to find in your mind. That's all. When you feel the object, the pendant starts to swing in that direction. When you get used to it, you'll only need to imagine the pendant in your mind.Now what should we look for?"  
  
"Me!...you have to look for me Lord Van, " Merle runs and hides in the bushes  
  
Chid meanwhile wonders what they're doing,"What are they doing?"  
  
"I don't know," Boris said  
  
"Imagine her in your mind. Calm your heart, and concentrate. As clearly as possible. You can do it slowly until her figure appears. Yes, she's got pointy ears, curly hair...a tail, that annoying personality, ..  
  
"urg! I can't!" Van said  
  
"Then you have already lost, brother," Jayson said walking in, not seeing where Merle is. "Don't give up so easily. Hitomi, why don't you so Van how it's done,"  
  
She holds the pendant in front of her and senses where Merle is. and points to on of the places that Jayson said, "There!"  
  
"Right, like I'm going to stand up," Merle stubborningly said.  
  
"Merle!" Van shouted and Merle jumped  
  
"I'm here Lord Van, you've found me!" Merle said continuing to jump, Hitomi smiled and Van was speechless. Jayson clapped, but then stopped and looked skyward. Van noticed him.  
  
"What's wrong Jayson?"Van asked  
  
"Nothing Van,   
  
Eye of the Beholder  
  
"The eyes of common perception do not see far. Too often we make  
  
the most important decisions based only on superficial information."  
  
~Norma Cenva, from the Dune books  
  
Location: The Kingdom of Freid  
  
Time:6:20 A.M. GST  
  
At the palace, prince Chid greets the monk called Plactu, for that's what he think is him. Jayson is there too, "greeting" his old master  
  
"I appreciate your help. I'm counting on you." Chid said to the imposter  
  
"Leave everything to me," Plactu said  
  
Later, in the dungeon, Plactu, Jayson, and Boris, goes down to see the prisoner.  
  
"Boris, I want to interagate the prisoner alone."  
  
"Well, but..."  
  
"Do as I say!" Plactu hypnotizes both of them and goes to see Miguel, but Jayson was not entirely warped minded.  
  
"Your good, doppefalganger, but not as good as you think," Jayson said to himself and slowly follows Plactu to Miguel.  
  
"You must be Miguel," Zongi said to the solider  
  
"How did you? oh Folken must of sent you," Miguel said  
  
Meanwhile, in Allen's room, Milearna brought Allen food.  
  
"Allen, here's your meal. Eat a lot so you can recover soon." she said  
  
"Princess Millerna..."Allen said  
  
"yes?"  
  
"Would you call Hitomi?"  
  
Back at the dungeon, Plactu/Zongi questions Miguel on the subject, and was surprised of what Miguel said.  
  
"Mysterious girl you say?" the imposter asked  
  
"Yes. She clearly pointed at my Gaimelef which was supposedly invisible." We flashback of that event and sees Escaflowne dodging Miguel's claws.  
  
"I see. I'll deal with it," the false Plactu said  
  
"So, you're going to get me out?"   
  
"No...I have a little job for you,"  
  
He leaves the room and snaps Boris and pretending Jayson out of it. Jayson walks away to see Allen.  
  
"Boris." he said  
  
"I... uhhh..." all Boris can say  
  
"The prisoner is ready," Plactu said  
  
"Plactu," Chid said  
  
"Highness?" Boris said  
  
"I'd like to obseve the interogation," Chid said  
  
"Of course, he's already under hypnosis."  
  
"Then, soldier of Zaibach, what is your name?" Boris said  
  
"It's Miguel... it's Miguel Labariel."  
  
"What were you doing on our border?" Boris asked again  
  
"I was hunting a traitor, at Asturia's request. He conspired with the King of Fanelia to betray the country..Allen Schezar" Everybody was shocked  
  
"I do not belieave you!" Boris shouted in disbelief.  
  
"It can be, you're lying!" Chid shouted  
  
"but it's the true" the hyponsistyzed Miguel said  
  
"Then why?"  
  
"To deceive Fried into engaging in a war against Asturia. And taking advantage of the disorder, he'd take over Asturia"   
  
"He's lying!" Prince Chid shouted not believing one word.  
  
Jayson looked at the prisoner for a moment.  
  
"If he IS under hyponisis...then why is he lying....wait, the first part would be consider true, but the other half of what he said..." Jayson slowly walked back and disappeared into the shadows behind him.  
  
In Allen's room...Allen asked Hitomi to read her cards.  
  
"Read the cards...?" Hitomi asked  
  
"I want you to read about the captured Zaibach soldier." Allen explained  
  
"Allen, you actully believed such nonsense," Milearna said not believing a thing.  
  
"Yes"  
  
"Please."  
  
"Alright"  
  
Elsewhere..Boris makes preperation for Allen's capture.  
  
"Make emergency preperations, Dispatch the royal guard!! (To Plactu) I'll leave him to you, okay?" Boris said and left with a bunch of guards.  
  
Meanwhile, Hitomi uses the tarot cards and it gets intresting.  
  
"Danger...confrontation... It's showing a rise of tension. And a dragon fighter...it must be Van." Hitomi said  
  
"Van?" Milearna said  
  
"Continue." Allen said  
  
"World...death... Something powerful will bring everything to an end to be reborn again." Hitomi said  
  
"The end of everything, so that's what's Zaibach is after."Allen said  
  
"And the prisoner..."She draws a card. Its blank." the spare card, but I've always kept this separte before I begin."  
  
"So why a blank card," Allen asked and then it hit him, "O No,"  
  
Then Jayson ran in,   
  
"Allen, we've got a situation here, we've got to get you out of here!"  
  
Elsewhere, Miguel knocks out a guard in the Guymelef hangar and looks at his Guymelef.  
  
"I hope it's still functional, " Miguel said to himself and hopped in.  
  
In Allen's room, Jayson helps Allen up, but lefts up his head as if he felt something.  
  
"Allen I'll be right back," And he let's go of him and disappears behind him, now being carried by Milearna, and Hitomi. Then, just when Jayson left, a group of guards enter the room,  
  
"Where are you going?" a guard said  
  
"Boris...W...what's all this...? Prince Chid!" all Allen said  
  
"Allen, I never thought that you'd be a traitor. why?!" the little prince said  
  
"Prince Chid," Allen said in disbelief  
  
"What nonscense." Milearna said  
  
Outside Jayson assemblies his men, and gets in his Melef,  
  
"Look Jayson the Zaibach gaimelef."  
  
Miguel gets out of the hangar in his Guymelef.  
  
"Alright, it works, and the stealth cloaks works, too." Miguel said. He punches a wall, collapsing it on some men. Plactu/Zongi watches from nearby.  
  
"How pointless... He should just escape." He said watching from afar, "There's no acount for the people without brains."  
  
Van flies overhead in Escaflowne, "The Zaibach gaimelef!"  
  
Van circles the melef. Miguel tries to shoot, but can't  
  
"Oh no! There's not enough pressure!" he said  
  
Since Miguel's Guymelef is damaged he is unable to shoot his claws, but he still has the ability to turn invisible, which he does. Van misses due to this and wonders where he is. Miguel stands behind Van  
  
"That Guymelef's disappeared." a solider said  
  
"Dispatch the Melef squad!" another ordered  
  
From afar as well, Jayson and his friends takes aim.  
  
"I could take that suit with one shot," Jayson said with one of his claws popped out, "but I'll let Van handle this,"  
  
"And what if he can't do it?" Gerry asked,  
  
"Don't worry, I believe in him," and Jayson retracts the claw.  
  
Van turns and his back is facing Miguel.  
  
"As I thought. You can't see through the Stealth cloak without that girl, can you?"  
  
"Where... where will he attack from?" He remembers Hitomi. "I'll try."  
  
He stops and tries to sense where Miguel is.  
  
"What's he doing? I don't care. If I destroy it, Lord Dilandau will forgive me for being captured." he takes out his arm and aims  
  
"Come on Van concentrate," Jayson said  
  
"Strongly imagine what I want to find..." Van said  
  
"If you strongly imagine, you'll be able to see it" Hitomi's voice reminded him as Miguel aims his arm.  
  
"If I concentrate the liquid metal in one launcher, I can hit it, total anilation," Miguel thought  
  
"Where... where is the Zaibach Guymelef...?" He imagines the pendant, which swings and reveals the Guymelef's location,"Behind me!"  
  
"Die!" He fires at Van, who chops off the Gaimelef's arm and slices the Stealth Cloak to threads. "H...how...?"  
  
He then drives Escaflowne's sword right through the Guymelef, destroying it. Miguel stumbles away with an injured leg, but Van is unable to stop him since the Freid melefs are able to tie Escaflowne down," What the?!"  
  
Jayson comes down with his men, and they ready to fight, "Wait men, stand down,"  
  
"But Jayson?" David said  
  
"That's an order, everyone, put your weapons away," Jayson's team withdrew their weapons and got out of their melefs to surrender.  
  
Miguel stumbles into a corner,  
  
"I can't escape with this injury. What should I do?" Then Zongi hyponisis him again, "I'm sorry, but I can't allow anyone one to know...die."  
  
Miguel drops dead....  
  
Later, at the cell...The crew of the Crusade and everyone else minus Jayson, is kept in a jail cell in the palace.  
  
"Prince, this must be a mistake. If you investigate, you'll see." Milearna said  
  
Prince Chid walks up to Allen,  
  
"I've heard about you from Mother, and I admired you. unfoutunitly, it's all a lie"  
  
"Prince Chid... Have you ever trusted someone with your whole heart? it takes more courage to trust someone than to dismissed them so easily. Prince Chid, do you understand the meaning of that courage?" Allen said  
  
"That's when I've felt. There's a strong blond between Allen and Prince Chid."  
  
Later Hitomi is escorted to be intergated by Plactu and Jayson joins her. As she passes the cells with the Crusade crew, they yell in anger  
  
"What do ya think you're doin'?! ...throwing us in a place like this.." Paile said.  
  
"You jerk!" Pyle added  
  
"Let us out, you!" Teo shouted  
  
"Shut up! Now stay quiet." a guarded shouted  
  
"We won't help you even if Zaibach comes!" Pyle said again  
  
"A bunch of animals, I hope you don't show your true color when you meet Plactu," the guard escorting Hitomi said. Down the hall Hitomi is brought into a dark room where her interogation is to take place. A cell is to her right.  
  
"What a strange room," Hitomi said and Jayson walks up to the cell. The Guard closes the door and leaves. Hitomi glances at the artwork on the walls.Hitomi senses another presence in the room beside Jayson's, and sees Chid standing in the cell beside her. "Prince Chid... Tell me how you really feel. Do we look like traitors? Do you think we're the kind of people that would lie to you?"  
  
He says he wants to trust her, but is hesitant, "I...I don't know. However, Plactu's sorcery should reveal the truth"  
  
"Please, trust us." Hitomi said  
  
"I'm the prince of this kingdom. Tradition says the royal family is supposed to follow Plactu's advice. For the sake of the kingdom and its people, that's the best thing to do." Prince Chid said  
  
"You're just like Van," Hitomi said not noticing Plactu/Zongi was behind her  
  
"Are you ready...?" Plactu stands behind Hitomi. "It is time for the interogation."  
  
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the dungeon...Van is angried that Hitomi is going first,  
  
"Why does Hitomi have to be first? She's got nothing to do with this!"  
  
"It stands to reason that if you've done nothing wrong, it wouldn't matter," Boris said  
  
"At any moment Zaibach might...!" Van said getting interupted by Allen  
  
"Boris, I hope you to believe in us. We've come to tell the truth." Allen said  
  
"Don't you understand the grave situation?" Boris asked  
  
"What?" Allen asked  
  
"A little while ago, a messenger from Asturia arrived... ...and informed us that they had a price on your head and Escaflowne." Boris explained  
  
"They've been tricked" Allen said  
  
"Allen isn't a man who lies! Trust us!" Milearna said  
  
"Princess, there is only truth. Once Plactu finishes his questioning, everything will be revealed."  
  
Meanwhile, in the interogation room...Plactu had Hitomi in statis and questions her.  
  
"The Mystic Moon, high in the sky," Hitomi said all wierdly   
  
"Are you telling us that you came from the Mystic Moon," Plactu asked,  
  
"....Yes.." Hitomi said  
  
Meanwhile, Boris, Jayson, Chid and Millerna watches from the cell,  
  
"She's from that acursed place?!" Boris said, "is this true?"  
  
"...Yes," Jayson answered  
  
"We were told that you made a surprise attack against a Zaibach floating fortress....and also destroyed an Energist mine. Is this true? What's wrong? Answer me! What's your answer?"  
  
".......Yes.." Hitomi answered again  
  
"That corresponds with the charges Asturia has informed us of.," Boris said  
  
"Wait ask her why, why they did it," Milearna said  
  
"It's to take over Asturia, the prisoner has said enough,"  
  
"How did you know the location of the floating fortress and the mine?" Plactu asked again  
  
"dowsing with pendant." Hitomi said  
  
"Dowsing...?"Plactu was puzzled  
  
"To use my mind to see things,"  
  
"That mysterious power. So, you saw the invisible Guymelefs with that"  
  
."Yes."  
  
"Your pendant, give it to me,"Hitomi removes her pendant and holds her hand out to him.  
  
As soon as he passes his hand over it, a strange light envelops the room. The room turns a pitch black and the light goes out. Only Jayson can see what has happened.  
  
"What is this place?! What did you do?!"  
  
"That is your true form" Zongi's Plactu disguise vanishes, turning him back to his original form, "My spell's gone. Did you do that also?"  
  
Millerna, Chid and Boris watch in shock. Plactu and Hitomi are as still as statues. To them, nothing strange is happening.  
  
"Boris, what's going on?" Chid asked  
  
"I'm not sure" he replied puzzled  
  
"I'll fine out," Jayson said then put his hands together, closed his eyes, and entered Zongi and Hitomi's minds  
  
Meanwhile, in the vision...Zongi watches as the scene of him taking Plactu's body takes place once again. and Jayson enters the dark place. more images of Plactu killed by Zongi appear all around them.  
  
"That's...Impossible. How can I be watching that scene?" Zongi said  
  
"you are a murderer-" Jayson said and then the voice and image changed to Hitomi,  
  
"you are a dolfanganger, you have-" Changing to Jayson  
  
"-many faces, but none of your own" and then the voice and image changed into another dolfanger,  
  
"For you live in war and die in war. That is the cursed fate of our race." it said  
  
"Elder...?"  
  
An army battles each other on a battlefield. A man is stabbed and falls to the ground. His face changes into that of a dolfalganger. The murderer looks in shock as his face changes as well.  
  
"B...brother...!" He drops his sword and falls to his knees. "Brother..."  
  
The scene changes to Zongi kneels in a temple. and Folken walking up to him.  
  
"Do you curse this world, do you curse the fate of your people, Your fate of being born as a warrior who finds the meaning of life only in war? Zongi, come with me.and Break the chains of your fate that binds your people.  
  
"Lord Folken..."  
  
Back to the present...  
  
"So this is your power... Girl," Zongi said, "and you (Looks at Jayson) you're well trained in this art, but since you two know so much, I cannot let you live."  
  
Jayson laughs, and a liquidy metal substance wraps around Zongi's legs, "W...what's this...? stop this now!"  
  
"We can't help but your life will be snuffed out," Hitomi said  
  
"And it's going to happen very soon" Jayson said hovering besides Hitomi.  
  
"I don't think so," Zongi grabs Hitomi's leg  
  
"Hitomi!" Jayson said as he snaps out of it making a grab for her hand but is caught in the fluid of liquid metal as well. "Uh oh, not good!"  
  
It surrounds both of them and crushes them. Hitomi screams and falls over dead. While Jayson is knocked back into reality coughing up blood and collapses.  
  
"Jayson!?" Milearna shouted, Jayson points to Hitomi whose in worse condition.  
  
Plactu is in shock, but alright. Chid and Millerna rush to Hitomi.  
  
"Hitomi!" Milearna shouted at her, but she won't answer.  
  
"What happened, Plactu?"Boris asked andPlactu gets up.  
  
"Nothing. I'm just tired." he said  
  
"Her pupils are dilated!" Milearna said  
  
"How is she, Aunt?" Millerna checks for a pulse.  
  
"Oh No! Her heart's...stopped!"  
  
A large number of guards run by Van's cell.  
  
"What happened? Hey!" He grabs one."What was that scream about?"  
  
"A prisoner died! One of your friends died!" the guard said  
  
"Hitomi..."  
  
"Allen! Allen!" Chid runs up to their cell. "it's Hitomi... it's Hitomi..."  
  
"Prince, I beg of you! Let us out of here!" Van plead  
  
"But..."  
  
"Hurry please!"  
  
"Come here!" Allen grabbed Chid and hold a sharp object to his face.Boris and a number of guards arrive.  
  
"Highness!! if you hurt him!!!" Boris said  
  
"Just opened the door," Allen said and they ran out to Hitomi  
  
Meanwhile, Millerna tries to help Hitomi.Jayson was still unable to get up but tries to sit next to Hitomi and meditates to wake her up mentally. Milearna starts giving her CPR.  
  
Van, Merle and Allen ran to the room while Millerna gives Hitomi CPR.   
  
"Hitomi!" Van shouted as he ran into the room  
  
"Hitomi! Hey, hold on!" Merle shouted  
  
"No, it won't beat." Milearna said and gives up. Then, Van performs CPR on Hitomi.   
  
continues to perform CPR on her.  
  
Meanwhile, in her dying mind, Hitomi's life flashes by her, but Jayson enters her disorinated mind and tries to wake her up. Outside Van gives his all as he tries to get Hitomi's heart working.  
  
"Don't die! Don't die, Hitomi! Hitomi!" he said  
  
"Hitomi, wake up!" Milearna said  
  
"Hitomi...?!"merle said  
  
"Wake up, Hitomi!" Hitomi coughs and starts breathing again and Jayson awakens still coughing up blood.and collapses.   
  
"Jayson," Van said. "you alright,"  
  
"Help, Zelda, Help," Jayson said in his mind as he tries to call for help and then colapises, "Their coming,"  
  
Princess Zelda hears his call  
  
"Gannondorf, prep the fleet, we're moving out," she said  
  
"At once your highness," Gannondorf said and the floating fortress of Hyrule started moving and in a matter of moments, they huge fortress floats near Freid, "Highness, we have entered the air space of Freid, they will spot us soon."  
  
"I'm going down, get Jayson's friends. They will escort me down there," Zelda said getting ready  
  
"As you wish," Ganondorf said and leaves to tell Jayson's friends.  
  
Meanwhile, Back at the castle, Hitomi tells Chid that Plactu is really a Zaibach spy.   
  
"That Plactu was a Zaibach spy...?"  
  
"I saw it. He killed the real Plactu and changed his shape. The prisoner was also killed. And so will he. A black hand will..."  
  
"Where's Plactu? "Chid asked  
  
"I can't find him anywhere." Boris said  
  
"He must have run away. Prince Chid, we've got to find him! It'll be too late once Zaibach knows Hitomi's secret!" Van said  
  
"Silence! Prince, you shouldn't listen to their story."  
  
"Boris..." Chid said  
  
Chid walks up to Allen and draws his knife,  
  
"It takes more courage to trust someone than it is to dismiss them so easily," then cuts off Allen's bindings, "Allen could you go find this Zaibach spy?"  
  
"Prince, what are you thinking?"  
  
"'You should dispel doubts yourself.' I want them to follow Freid's law. I'll take responsibility.  
  
"As you wish."  
  
"Prince." Allen is still too ill and holds his wound in pain.  
  
"He hasn't fully recovered. I'll go instead."  
  
"I'll go, too" A few minutes later, Escaflowne in dragon mode, rises up, with Van and Allen on it. Jayson gets up, but still is weak from the experiences of revealing the fake Plactu and waking up Hitomi.  
  
"Jayson you're still injured, rest," Milearna said  
  
"No, sister, they are coming," Jayson said  
  
"Who uncle Jayson?" Chid asked  
  
"You'll find out soon. Quickly Van, let's go."  
  
The two got onto their Guymelefs, and Hitomi followed. Escaflowne and Excalibur flies off.  
  
"They won't run away, will they?" Boris said  
  
"I believe in Allen's faith in Van."  
  
Meanwhile at the temple,  
  
"A girl from the Mystic Moon...?" Dalandou said  
  
"Yes. She can see invisible objects... ...and she possesses an incredible ability to know the incidents of the future and the past."  
  
"An ability to see invisible objects and to predict the future...? I see..." He remembers when he tried to snipe out Van, but Hitomi rescued him. "That moment... "  
  
He remembers when Hitomi pointed out invisible Guymelefs in the woods.  
  
"...and that moment..." He remembers when he attacked Van in the Floating Fortress. "...and that moment too."  
  
He remembers when he first saw her at the Asturian Fort.  
  
"That girl... This scar is because of her." Dilandau gets in his Guymelef. "Well done, Zongi."  
  
"I appreciate your praise, Lord Dalandou..."  
  
"Now...Receive your reward." liquid metal from Dilandau's Guymelef surrounds Zongi.  
  
"What....what are you doing?!" Dilandau stands and holds his arm up, which was covering Zongi with liquid metal.  
  
"You killed Miguel, didn't you?"  
  
"That was my duty..."  
  
"Think of what you've done to my man. That's why I hate Dopplegangers..."  
  
"T...this is..."  
  
Meanwhile, Escaflowne and Excalibur nears the temple.  
  
"Is that it!"  
  
"Van, prepare yourself!" Jayson shouted  
  
"Van hurry!" Hitomi shouted. She then has another vision of dying. Liquid metal surrounds her. "Van, help me!"  
  
"Lord Folken!" Zongi called out as his life was about end very violently.  
  
"Don't!" Hitomi shouted as Dalandou crushed Zongi and blood splashed out all over the place. Hitomi screams and passes out.  
  
"Hitomi!"   
  
Dalandou spots Escaflowne.  
  
"Escaflowne! It must be my lucky day! Shester! Gatti!"  
  
"Hitomi, snap out of it!" Van shouted  
  
Then, multiple blood stained chunks of liquid metal narrowly miss Escaflowne. More attacks stem from the base of the temple. Escaflowne narrowly dodges them all.  
  
"Van, take evasive!" Jayson shouted and drew his swords and fired back.  
  
"Those invisible bastards...? Hitomi, Hitomi!"  
  
"Strongly... strongly imagine in your mind."  
  
"In the middle of a fight!"  
  
"You can... I'm sure you can do it."  
  
Escaflowne pulls it's sword out while remaining in flight mode. The three Guymelefs continue to attack from the ground.  
  
"Hey, hey, come on down!"  
  
Then, Jayson swooped down in front of him and thrash away his cloak.  
  
"You asked for it Dalandou!" Jayson attack him with both his swords. "I can see you know! Hide and seek is over!"  
  
Jayson slashed at Dalandou, but was blocked, and he tried again with his other arm, but was blocked again. Then, Gatti decloaked and attacked him. Jayson then connects the bottoms of his swords together and swings his weapon around like a staff. Then, he backs off, and Dalandou attacked Van with more of his liquid metal shots.  
  
"Concentrate, Project strongly in your mind." Hitomi said  
  
Van imagines the pendant in his mind. Escaflowne's sword point right at Dilandau.  
  
"I can see them!"  
  
"What the!!" Dalandou was hit and knocked down. He then saw Hitomi, "Damn you!"  
  
Dilandau attempts to attack again, but Escaflowne swipes up it's sword, slicing the arm off. It then uses it's tail to smash Dilandau's Guymelef in the head and knock it down the temple stairs.  
  
"T...that's... ...the girl from the Mystic Moon!"  
  
"Lord Dilandau!" Gatti shouted as he fired on Escaflowne, but the shots were blocked by Jayson. Then, he nails him as well, disabling his cloak.  
  
Escaflowne swipes it's sword from behind, knocking the final hidden Guymelef into the wall. Dilandau charges him.  
  
"Bitch!" Van blocks Dilandau's blows.  
  
"He's after Hitomi!"  
  
Dilandau gets his blade through and up to Hitomi's face, just barely held back by Escaflowne's sword, which is stuck.  
  
"It's you! You're a nuisance!"  
  
Escaflowne bashes in the Guymelef's head, knocking it back.  
  
"Van! Let's move out! We've done enough!"  
  
Escaflowne and Excalibur flies away.  
  
"I won't let you get away!" Dalandou shouted as he readies in flight mode, but his missing arm caused his suit to be unbalance and he went back to ground mode.  
  
"Damn you!!!"  
  
Later, when they've returned to the castle...  
  
"As Hitomi predicted...?" Chid said  
  
"I lost the proof that that Plactu was Zaibach's spy, though..."  
  
"However, you've proven your innocence." Boris said  
  
"The body of the real Plactu was found." Milerna said  
  
"The monks in the austerites found it in the forest. The dried body must be a dopplaganger's work."  
  
"But I trust you without any proof, because you came back."  
  
"I apologize to you for my rudeness."  
  
Milierena then talks to Allen,  
  
"You made him decide...you know, you two resemble each other a lot. The color of your eyes and hair...You're like brothers."  
  
Chid looks at Allen and smiles. A guard whispers something to Boris.  
  
"Everyone, the Duke has returned!"  
  
"Father is back!" Chid shouted as he ran.  
  
"Oh no!" Someone shouted   
  
"What!?" Boris turned to a guard, "What is it?!"  
  
"Lord Jayson is not getting out of his melef! He hasn't move since he landed!"  
  
"What!" Van said and ran.  
  
When they got to Excalibur they see that it was a stnading statue on the hanger.  
  
"Jayson!" Van shouted as he went and touched the red energist crystal and the cockpit opened. Jayson was unconcious inside.  
  
"He was still weak from after he tried to wake up Hitomi." Milerna said  
  
Everyone carried Jayson from the cockpit and placed him down on a bed.   
  
"Patch up that wound of his!" Milerna said, they did so, but he was still bleeding a bit. "Why won't it stop...Jayson, wake up...brother say something..."  
  
Jayson didn't move, but was thrashing around in his sleep.  
  
"What's happening to him," Milerna said  
  
To be continued.... 


	9. Chapter VIII

Escaflowne  
  
Chapter VIII  
  
In a room, Milerna was sitting down next to Jayson, who was laying in a bed, still unconcious. Allen walked into the room.  
  
"Is he going to be alright?"  
  
"I...I don't know...I've never study about something like this. His body is alright for the moment, but there are times, when he sweats alot and he burns up, but then cools down. His face showed that he was getting hurt, like he was having a nightmare. I've heard of a person having long complacated dreams when they are in comas, but this..."  
  
"Can't we wake him?" Prince Chid asked, thinking that Jayson is just sleeping.  
  
"I've tried, but nothing works." Melerna responded sadly  
  
Jayson's face was still, but then he started tossing and turning. It looked and sounded like he was in a battle.  
  
"What is happening to him..." Milerna held Jayson's hand and prayed for the worse.  
  
All in the Past  
  
"Life is the sum of the forces that resist death."  
  
~Serena Butler, From the Dune Books  
  
In Jayson's mind, it was hard to tell what was going on, but he seemed to be jumping from one flashback to another. Until his mind held onto one particular flashback and he was stuck in it. Almost like he was reliving the same events over again.  
  
Location: a cliff near the boarders of Hyrule  
  
Time/Date: about 7 years ago.  
  
There was a battle taking place on some cliffs and hill tops. Guymelefs work their way up the rocky hill as they were supressed by incoming turret fire. Some got hit and were knocked down.   
  
Radio chatter:  
  
"Red one copy?!"  
  
"I'm hit! I'm hit!" one said as he got knocked backward.  
  
"Take flanking positions!"  
  
At the nearby command center, Gyrule commanders watches their siuts head into battle.  
  
"All platoons are engaged," some said,  
  
One particular melef, that was painted with white strips advance forward and took out a placement. Then from behind the enemy base, came leva fighters. They flew toward the battlion and open fire.  
  
Inside the White leader melef, was a young Jayson, about 15-16 years.  
  
"Damn, what are they doing?!" Jayson shouted as he saw some of his allies getting hit, "arg, these guy's are starting to piss me off! White leader to White one, White two, do you copy!"  
  
"White one copy, behind you at five o clock!" a female voice responded  
  
"White two copy, behind at six!" a male voice responded  
  
Jayson fires a shot from his suit's rifle. He empties a clip of about 20 shots of 33mm's and reloads.  
  
"Lt. Fanel!" one of his lancemates shouted as he caught up, "What kind of bull-shit stratgey is this?! No air support-jeez!"  
  
Jayson smiled and was about to say something, but a commanding voice stopped him-  
  
"Hey knuckle heads, quit being targets out their and make the assault!!"  
  
It was Ganon's voice, sounding like a drill segent. Jayson was a bit annoyed and moved forward, jumping with his jets, and then making contact with a fighter and took it out. Then movd on. Then, he got hit, then got an arm blow off and fell down.  
  
"Josh!" Jayson got in front of him and picked off the fliers.  
  
  
  
Then, Ganon's annoying voice spoke out again.  
  
"Quit screwing around, those suits are expensive pieces of equipment!"  
  
Jayson moved forward and fored some more enemies, but then was cornered, he fired at the enemies as he flew back, but hit a rock and crashed. The fighters hover over him like vultures and aimed their guns. Then, they were shot at by another one of Jayson's lancemates.  
  
"Need a hand Fanel!" a female voice said, which so happens to be Zelda.  
  
"Where the hell have you been!" Jayson shouted back as she fires a smoke bomb at the enemies and jammed their visuals.   
  
She and Jayson flew through the clouds.  
  
"Thanks!"  
  
Again, Ganon shouted again.  
  
"You're looking sharp as a wooden spoon today! Come on, White Platoon, catch up!"  
  
"What the Hell, do you expect a couple of worn out booasters at half power!" Jayson responded, but did not ment to.  
  
"What you say mister!?"  
  
"Uh, just clearing the static. White one copy?"  
  
"Copy White Leader!" Zelda said after she smiled.  
  
The two charged forward and covered the ones trying to rush forward, but most that tried, get knocked back. Jayson scanned the area and noticed one turret far off from the rest.  
  
"I'm going in from that ridge!"  
  
"Too rash!"  
  
"You're giving me a rash!"  
  
"You know I have a prettty good cure for that!"  
  
"Heh, save it. Cover me!" Jayson flies out and charges forward as Zelda provided cover fire.  
  
When Jayson go to the top, there were two melefs in his way. Jayson took out his sword and disabled them both. Then, he destroyed th turret and tore off a piece of armor from it and jet up inot the sky, then fell toward the ground and fired. The remaining turrets targetted him.  
  
"Damn it!" Jayson shouted as he fired back, the piece of armor covered this body, "Die!"  
  
The arm that was holding the piece of armor broke off, but he still continued to fire. Then, he hit the ground hard as the main turret exploded.  
  
"Jayson!"  
  
"What do you think of my solution?" Jayson answered  
  
"You're lucky those were pratice shells...otherwise you'd be dead..."  
  
"Test over..." Ganon said over the comm,"All pilots are to recover your machines and report to me...."  
  
By the age of 15, Jayson has became a battle harden Guymelef pilot. He's the best of the best, no other pilot in Hyrule, not even the older and more experience ones, can match the way he fights and thinks on the battlefield.   
  
Later on, at the main base at Hyrule City, Jayson and Link walks around and then sees a bunch of older soldiers/pilots that are walking around and making comments about the young ones. This made Link a bit mad.  
  
"Don't let them get to you Link..." Jayson said as he leans on a window that over looks the mountain range.  
  
"Uh...you're right, Jayson..."  
  
"Well there's Josh, feeling much better..." Jayson looks over to see his lancemate that got a broken arm in battle.  
  
"Hey Fanel!" Josh waves to them and then solutes to a senior officer that gets in front of him and then steps aside to let them pass, but his arm gets shived and it hurt him,"Ow..."  
  
The officer stopped and looked at him.  
  
"Eh, excuse me..." Josh said in a slightly rude manner, and then the big officer walks up to him and punches him and knocks him cold into the wall.  
  
Jayson and Link were shocked and they run to help out their friend. Another cadet gets to Josh and tries to wake him.  
  
"Josh! Talk to me!" but the guy was out cold.  
  
"Heh! I'd barely flicked the boy....he can't be a man if he can take a punch from one, heh,"  
  
"You bastard! What do you think you're doing?!" Jayson shouted   
  
"Calm down plibe," another one said  
  
"You're all just made of glass. That's why were floating high on top, and you're just a bunch of worthless drags at the bottom..." and the group laughed at that.  
  
"You're even lower," another one said, "cause I'm already one."  
  
The group laughed even more, and Link got up.  
  
"You'll pay for that!"   
  
"Wait Link...I'll handle him!" Jayson throws a punch but the guy caught it. Jayson got angry at that.  
  
Then, Jayson ws sort of thrown toward the window.  
  
"Come on, is that the best you got. I'll even give you a free one, give me your best punch, none of this touch and tickle or is that all you can give...kid."  
  
Jayson was about to explode and reaches for his gun, but a voice stopped him.  
  
"Stand down..." It was Ganon, who walk in right on time, "Get that man to the medic(medics take Josh out of here and Ganon walks up to the senior officer) Would you mind telling me what's going on Bearows..."  
  
"Just giving the kids here a little test, see if they are mature enough..."  
  
"Is that suppose to be...funny Bearows..."  
  
"We're have dilpimatic immunion as visiting Commonwealth officers...I believe that's out of..your jeristiction," The guy walks away,"No hard feelings kid, that hot-headed temper of yours is going to get yourself kill, I say take more calcium if I were you..."  
  
They soldiers leave. Jayson gets pissed off a bit, but Ganon stops him.  
  
"Cool it..."  
  
"I'm going right over there and tell him where he can put his stinking calcium!"  
  
"I said cool it and I mean cool it!!" Ganon picked up Jayson and slammed him into a wall, "Now you to report to the chief's on the double."  
  
Later, Jayson and Link was in the chief's office and they talked. Jayson was a bit disappointed about his new assignment.  
  
"I don't understand sir. We're Guymelef pilots, trained for battle. Alvalon is just an old outpost that noone knows or care about. Is this a ligitamite assignment, or just some recommend..."  
  
"Jayson..." Link warned Jayson not to be too rude.  
  
"This recommendation is from Instrustor ganondorf, I trust his judgement."  
  
"Tish, great...."  
  
Elsewhere, Zelda was helping out at a Guymelef factory building suits. The suits were on an assembly line.   
  
"Send the new data to Dr. Manks through coded channel." Zelda said as she give some papers to another scientist, then another one bumped into her.  
  
"Guess who I heard about some idiot trying to fight with those punk Commonwealth soldiers"  
  
"Seris, I have no time to hear about racist comments and boxing matches..." and then Seris came cloe and whispered into her ear.  
  
"It's your boyfriend, Jayson..."  
  
"eh, he's not my boyfriend" and she walks away.  
  
Zelda was torn between two people that she cares the most, but...which one does she really love. She can't decide. Though the two friends have no clue about each other's attraction for the same girl.  
  
  
  
Some time later Jayson sits on a cliff overlook the ocean from Castle Hyrule. Zelda comes walking behind him.   
  
"What are you doing up so late?"  
  
Jayson turned to look at her, but his mind was obvilous of her appearence. She was wearing just a long white night gown, that could barely hide her features. Her long blond hair was loose and not tied. If Jayson's mind was not occuplied, he would have found her to be quite stunning.  
  
Jayson looked back at the ocean that was lit up by the moonlight and Earth's glow across the horizon.  
  
"What do you want..."   
  
"Is that any way to address a princess?"  
  
"...is that any way a princess should look at night and out in such a dangerious location..."  
  
Zelda walks in front of him, blocking his view.  
  
"What...you don't like my look," she turns toward the ocean, and Jayson got up and sort of regains his spirit again.  
  
"Who said I didn't," Jayson said as he embraced her and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll be going tommorrow...Avalon...the mystic land that has said to have connected this world and the moon above...But..why in heavens would they want me and Link to go there...we're the best of the best. We deserve better than guarding an old place like that."  
  
"Just go. There was a reason for them to send you two there."  
  
"Hey, you know something...tell me..."  
  
"You'll have to wait and see...."  
  
The two continue hold each other on the cliff for a while.  
  
The next day, Jayson and Link were in a military truck, that took them far away to their new base. They were wearing some kind of fancy uniform that is mostly for appearances, Jayson tipped his sunglasses as he looks out at the scenary. Link looked out the window and sees that it's raining and thinks of the training that he and Jayson had.  
  
Flashback  
  
Date: 1 year ago.  
  
Time: 1:00 GST  
  
Jayson and Link were praticing their swordsmanship at each other with rapiers. Jayson was defending himself with simple grace, since he uses a light sword like a katana or a rapier, but Link perfers a broad sword like the Master sword that he'll get later in his life.  
  
Jayson gave off a smile as he saw some inprovements in Link's quickness.  
  
"Hmmm, you've gotten better..."  
  
"Yeah, ya think," Link charged at Jayson, but Jayson dodged it and spun around, ending up behind Link and had his sword at Link's neck,  
  
"No...I'm just being generous....come on, remember Link. You must remain focus, and never loose concentration....and above all, never get too confident....always think that you might loose in the next move, but don't fear it..for-" Link finishes it with boredom writen all over him  
  
"-'for it is the mind killer'...bah, bah, bah. I've heard this enough to have fully remember the entire thing against fear....'I shall face my fear, I shall let it past over and through me, and in the end there will be nothing...only I shall remain....' See, you're begining to sound like our teachers. Especially like Ganon, always blabing his mouth off...."   
  
Jayson smiled and took the oppurtunity and knocked Link's sword away and held his at Link's neck.  
  
"And I've always listened to everyword he said...." Jayson said, "you should too...."  
  
End of Flashback  
  
Link has always thought of Jayson as an elder brother, since Jayson does know better.  
  
"Hey, what's with the long face...." Jayson broke Link's silence.  
  
"Hmmm, you seemed to be rather resigned to this hell hole...."  
  
"...You'll get there eventually...."  
  
"Well, as long as I get to work with you, I'll be fine."  
  
"Heh, thanks, that means..so much to me..." Jayson said in a near sarcastic tone.  
  
They've then, reached the base. Avalon was just as the legends tells you. An island in the center of a huge lake. Except that it is more bigger and there are other features added to it over the centuries since the legends.   
  
Jayson and Link address themselves in front of their new commander.  
  
"Lt. Jayson Fanel, dispatched from Hyrule Captial, sir!" Jayson said as he soluted.  
  
"Seg. Link Atreidies, same," Since Link has never discovered his true last, he's given himself a false last name, that was insired from an Earth legend that came here through Avalon, about a man called Atrus in the greek legends.  
  
"We're here to incorparate you two as pilots for our new Guymelef unit..."  
  
"A new type of Guymelef?" Jayson said  
  
"It's the very latest in mech technology.." a female scientist said that stood next to the commander.  
  
"This is Dr. Manks, from the development team."  
  
"I've already here much about you two from my assistent."  
  
The two turned around to see Zelda,  
  
"I'll show you two around,"   
  
The group went to a large door and it opened to revealed a large hanger. The hanger was connected to a long tunnel that is basicly a flight deck.  
  
"This is the prototype unit, Excalibur, named after the legendary sword. Take a look,"  
  
The lights turned on to see a very sopishacated looking guymelef.   
  
"It's made from a special metal that is lighter than most metal we have already, so this suit is purely made of this light and strong metal. It is called Generic Universal Neutrally Different Alloy. But we've come to call it Gundanium alloy, hense we call this new suit, a Gundam."  
  
"With this, we be able to leap forward in technology in all of Gaiea..."  
  
The two were amazed at it. Just looking at it you can sense the powers it has.   
  
The next day, Jayson went in to try the suit first.   
  
"Vital output normal...no problems detected...." Zelda said over the comm.  
  
Jayson opens his eyes and readies to fly. The suit has thrusters on the sides of the knee areas that open up.   
  
"Launch!" Dr. Manks ordered and Jayson jets out at an incredible speed that outflies the Alseidies'. Jayson was pushed back from the force of the speed of the suit. "Slow down Jayson, you're too hot!"  
  
"I'm...trying..."   
  
Jayson was not getting control and was scratching the walls as his new suit shoots itself out of the launch tunnel. Jayson was followed by a fast scout fighter that could barely keep up with him. Then, Jayson lost control and went into a dive. Everyone was scared, but then Jayson unfolded his wings and regain altitude from the thrusters on the back. Zelda sigh in relief.  
  
"Heart rate still increasing..." Zelda said  
  
"Slow down, Jayson....you can't stay at that level of sensation, it will kill you!" Dr. Manks warned.  
  
"I...think, I've gotten a handle on it,"  
  
"Now entering the test area!" Zelda said  
  
Jayson zooms left and right very quickly past poles that pop up from the ground and he went through some, still not able to control the senitive reaction speed of the suit. Then he flew into a forest area and just plowed right through them.  
  
"This thing is invincible!"   
  
Jayson stopped in front of a rock wall and ascend up to the top, but missed the breakaway point and hit the bottom of the cliff that sticks out, and went through the rocks. Jayson floated around in the air for a moment and then his head started to bleed suddenly, but he didn't hit himself in the suit...only the suit got hit...but in the head as well. Jayson then started to fall and dropped into the nearby lake. The scout fighter dropped some smoke bombs to cloud vision.  
  
"Get a recovery unit out there, we're right in the outer range of Commonwealth servailance...." Dr. Manks said  
  
Later, Jayson, Link, and Dr. Manks met after the test run. Jayson slammed his fist on the table, mad at the situation.  
  
"I want to know, just what kind of twisted output that machine's producing!!" Jayson shouted  
  
"I see that you've noticed that it's a bit different from the old guymelef technology-"  
  
"Noticed!?"  
  
"Congratulation...you did well for your fist run-"  
  
"I've could've been killed...-"  
  
Then Dr. Manks took out a big book.  
  
"First the body, then the brain Jayson," she drops the huge book, "I need you to commit this to memory by tommorrow...there's only one hour during the day, when this base is in the survailance blind spot of the Commonwealth...we don't have a lot of time...."  
  
So this is a war machine that they are going to use again the Commonwealth...but Hyrule is not strong enough to take against one of their powerful allies. That's why this suit is so important to them. After completion of testing, this suit will be mass produced and an army will be form to take out the Commonwealth presence in Hyrule and overthrow their control of Hyrule that has lasted for 20 years after the last great war.  
  
Several hours later, Link found Jayson sitting in the cockpit of his new suit.  
  
"What are you doing in the cockpit?"  
  
"I guess this is where I've felt most home at."  
  
"Ah, I see, pilot to the core...it's an amazing unit here. One of the many things that we've inproved from with energist...but it's so rare and only found in dragons...most of our working units came from dead dragons found in fossils, but this one is took from a live one. I think that live ones that are fresh, made to be energy source packs more punch."  
  
"It's a lot of power alright,"  
  
"And a great deal of responsiblity...with this we can finally regain our lost of power. This is our future freedom. We will then take the lead in Giaea's path to the future....."  
  
"Hmp..."  
  
"I'll tell you another thing. Link's gundam will be finished soon. We built a special thing for his...your energist and his would be the same. What I'm saying that when ever your gundam is close to his, they will resonate. This is because that the energist came from the same family of dragons they were taken from. You two will know if you are near or far in the battlefields."  
  
"That's intresting."  
  
The following days, Jayson trained hard, both on the suit and out when it was Link's turn, but Jayson seemed more better with the suit.   
  
Jayson flies out of the flight deck again and flies much more smoothly as he gets better. He pushes himself hard and faster. Everyday he trains as if he is training for war. He pushes himself harder everyday.   
  
"The energy from the energist bonds to our life force. So it's effectness will depend on the pilot," Dr. Manks explained to Jayson and Link as they become not just better pilots, but experts in the new type of suit.   
  
It was then Link's turn to fly and he popped out from a patch of forest and dodges some shots from three hovering turrets, then he fired back but popping out three liquid metal claws and threw them all at the three targets and hit. Then moved on.  
  
"He's really got a handle on it-" Zelda said to Dr. Manks.  
  
"-That last one was much better, I think I'm beginning to understand it," Jayson said as he gets out again.  
  
Back again in flight, Jayson flies above patches of forests, dodging poles that randomly pop out from under him. Then he draws his sword that was a cross from a katana and a broad sword. Light, solid, and deadly it was as it sliced through the thick poles. Then he trains himself against people, first dodging an attack and then blocking another one as quickly as he dodged and then breaks the guys sword with his free hand and slams the other side of the sword into the other guy's leg. And swings his sword back to piece the guy in front of him, his energist. The whole suit glowed with energy as Jayson was part of it even.  
  
We then see Jayson flies around within a canyon and gets chased by rockets, but they all missed him. He flies away from them and outflies them all. Then, he was then cornored by lots of rockets. Then he flew back up a bit and fired flame cannons from his forearms that destroyed all the rockets. He looked at the power that he possess right now, and feels like a god in this thing he's in. He flies up high into the air.  
  
"Flames cannons used...success Dr. Manks." Seris said, "Lt. Fanel is a natrual with this."  
  
"He's come so far in so little time,"  
  
"Given the estimates of what we thought he could do...I'm impressed..."  
  
Jayson hovers in the air and relaxes after a hard day's work. There was something that burns within his heart that cause him to become so dedicated to improving his skills. He was getting powerful alright, and soon barely anyone can stop him.   
  
Sometime later, a small scout team infiltrates the base's outer prarimeter and spots the base and its unusual launch bays.  
  
"Hmmm, the Hyrule conspircy revealed....these people, just won't learn to live under our control...."  
  
Elsewhere, Jayson trains with his sword by himself. He flipped, jumped, and spun around with his sword. Then does a horizontal slash at the ground and does a magical attack that caused a small explosion that made an indention on the grass floor. He was proud of the way his swordsmanship keeps on inproving. And he laughs as he spun around and purposely fell to the soft floor.  
  
"All that power from these hands..." He looks at his arms for a moment and they made an illisiuson that they were the arms, and hands of his suit.   
  
Later on a few days later, at the command center, Hyrule top officals were presents at the demostration of the new suit.  
  
"I welcome you all gentlemens, to the offical exibition of the Gundam Guymelefs." Ganon said  
  
A screen lowered and they see Jayson's suit hovering out there.  
  
"Lt. Fanel. Standby for test sequence...." Zelda said but Jayson didn't respond, "Jayson...."  
  
"We're beginning test sequience now," Dr. Manks said  
  
Then fighters that were controlled by remote appeared and fired at Jayson's suit with rockets. Jayson opened his eyes and took evasive. Then, he charged at the enemies and went right through the rocket attack. There were clouds of smoke caused by the rockets hitting him, but they were ineffective to stop him. Then he flew closer to them and above them and shot his claws at them like arrows and didn't miss one, then he drew his sword and cut loose. He then stabs one and throws it at another and they blew up.   
  
He then looks downward to see several suits firing at him. He flew at them, but got hit by a large rocket. He withstood the shot and laughed.  
  
"Ha!"   
  
Jayson swoop down at the suits and attacked them. The defenders took out swords and rifles, but none got a chance to defend at all as Jayson charged at them with great speed. Jayson dash to one and chop an arm off with one swipe and then kicked it back and then moved on and rammed another one with his shoulder and send it flying into another behind it. One tried to attack him from behind, but he ducked at the attack and chop his legs off. He then grabbed another one and head butt him several times and threw him to the ground.  
  
"Yeah, smash you all!" Jayson shouted as he finished up and flew back to the sky. Link was a bit shocked at his attitude.  
  
Jayson met 6 suits surrounding him in the sky with big guns.  
  
"Jayson...you alright?" Zelda said  
  
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" Jayson laughed sinsterly and that surprised everyone and he continued to do that and then he fired 6 constant streams of claws at his opononents and pierced through their energists. Everyone of their suit's energist were destroyed and exploded. Jayson lets go and all of the suits fell to the ground before they were able to fire at him.  
  
There was a silence and mostly Jayson's friends were in complete shock. At Jayson and at what he just demonstrated. The silence was broken with the applauding of the visitors. All appaud the success of the first gundam.  
  
Not too far away, on a cliff. The same Commonwealth spy team watched the demostration.  
  
"So, Hyrule is developing new Guymelef technology...they haven't seen enough of our work..."  
  
Jayson then felt something and turned his head back toward the group watching him.  
  
"Test over Lt. Fanel..." Dr. Manks said with a smile.  
  
"Not quite..." Jayson turned around and his suit glowed back to life. "Yes, I feel it...you're ready to fight aren't you..."  
  
Jayson dashed toward the group and he was so fast that it seemed like he disappeared and reappeared in front of them. They were shocked. A camoflauged Guymelef cameout, but it was not ready for Jayson charged at it and stabbed right through it with his sword and lifted it up with it. Then he chopped down and sliced the suit in half. Another got up and shot at Jayson, but theshots made only dents on his armor. His sword glowed to life from his energists that was powering him and he raised it in the air and then did a diaginal slash at the suit and launched a wave blade at the enemy suit, destroying it instantly and caused a massive explosion.  
  
Back at the command center, they were shocked again to see Jayson do this.  
  
"What power he has.....they have no idea...." Dr. Manks said  
  
Jayson hovers over the ruin patched of forest and looks around.  
  
"Jayson...please respond," Zelda said, "test over Jayson...."  
  
Jayson then sees that one spy did survive and then picked the guy up.  
  
"Do you read Jayson?!"  
  
Later, Jayson had the guy he captured and was trying to get information out of him the hard way.  
  
"Come on! Spill it! Who sent you!? Does your supperior know of this base!?" Jayson shouted and then punched him, "Talk!"  
  
"Urg...you're crazy, we're on to your conspircy, it's over kid!"  
  
"Heh, your face is going to be over with when I'm through with you....Now tell me, what do you know!" Jayson punched the guy in the face again.   
  
"That's enough, Jayson," Ganon said and Jayson stopped and dropped the guy back into his chair.  
  
Then, the guy somehow managed to get back up and grabbed Jayson and took his gun and pointed at him.  
  
"Alright! Let me out or I'll kill this twit you have here!" Jayson the closed his eyes and then popped them back open and grabbed then guys arm and moved his gun away from his head before he fired and the bullet hit a wall. Jayson flipped the guy and laned him on the ground and then Jayson broked the guys arm while he was at it and got his gun back. And then kicked the guy's side, breaking a few ribs. And then aimmed his gun at the guy's head. There was a strong temptation in his mind to fire and kill the bastard, but something was stopping him. Then, Ganon lower Jayson's gun.  
  
"Enough Jayson," Jayson stops and puts his gun away and walks out.  
  
Later on, Ganon was talking to the chief.  
  
"Has he talked?" The chief said  
  
"No, sir. But I don't think that he could of just stumbled upon this base so easily..."   
  
"You mean their might be a spy..or even a tratior in our mist?"  
  
"No matter, we should inform home office to start mass production. We must act quickly before they know too much of what we are planning."  
  
"Agree."  
  
Later that evening, Jayson was sitting on the floor in front of his bed and looks out the huge window that overlooks the rest of the lake area. There was a knocking at his door.  
  
"Come in..."  
  
The door opened to reveal it to be Zelda.  
  
"Can't sleep?"  
  
"How can you tell..." Jayson gets up and goes to the window.  
  
"What happened today....you acted so...different. You weren't the same person I know...."  
  
"....When I step inside Excalibur....I feel...a strange sense of purpose....That I have the power...the power to do the world justice....what have I done to deserve this power..."  
  
"You were one of the best. Link can't even match you..."  
  
"Oh he can...he just doesn't know it....I have a lot of anger....angry about my past. What happened to me 4 years ago. That brought me here...My brother, Folken. I helped him slay a dragon. But it tricked us. And threw me off the cliff. It probality killed Folken...I don't know...how long it was until I landed here."  
  
"I still remember that day, when I was taking a walk out on the beach and I saw you lying there."  
  
"Maybe it was fate....fate that I came here. So I can help liberate this country....is it my destiny...or just a coincidence. I felt angry, angry at how your people was treated here. But why...why feel that...there is something inside me that I can't control anymore. When I step inside Excalibur, I don't know where my anger ends and Excalibur's strengths begins..."  
  
"It begins at the heart. The power that was inside you. Power to do the right things...or at least, the things that you believe in...My father taught me that...with great powers..comes great responsibility...and you have that power inside you. You can do it...."  
  
"...thanks....do you know of the legend....the legend of the sword Excalibur....it is said that the sword was cursed...and that whoever possesses it, has the ability to rise a nation but that nation will be cursed to fall....perhaps it is the same with this Excalibur."  
  
"It is just a legend, and only the sword is cursed. Your suit is just named after it..."  
  
"...I am cursed...what I am...the people that I originated from, was said to be cursed....they said that they are not human...so tht makes me not human as well....."  
  
"What are you talking about...you are as human as I am..."  
  
"That's intresting, coming from an elf..." Jayson walks away from the window. "I'll show you what I mean...."   
  
Jayson talks off his shirt and then brought out his wings. Bright, pure white feathers fell around the place.  
  
"You're a....draconian...."  
  
"Yes, a cursed descendent of the people of Atlantis....my mother was a draconian, but my father wasn't. He was the king of the kingdom of Fanelia. He took mother in as his wife and queen and gave birth to me and my two other brothers....me and my two brothers are cursed with this fate...the fate of being draconians. Though we are only half, these wings on our backs is a reminder of who we are..."  
  
Jayson turned his back and then Zelda embraced him.  
  
"I don't think these are a curse....I believe that they are a blessing...these white wings will shead light upon a dark world...."  
  
"Hmp...you've always found ways to cheer me up...." He turned around and then kissed her,  
  
"...and beside...I like them..."  
  
A few weeks later, around after midnight. Outside the base, it was a calm yet windy night. At a small backdoor, two guards were just bored of standing there, but then someone sniped both of them in the head. Then, many soldiers appeared and went inside. They passed many camerias that were not working, because the guards were knocked out from within. The intruders then changed into uniforms and met their inside contact. A woman lead them.  
  
"Alright, this way," Seris said  
  
They then entered Dr. Mank's room.  
  
"What? Seris, what is it?"  
  
"You'll come along with us, Dr. Manks. We're taking you back to your family at Sudenena," Seris aims her gun at the Doctor. "Even if you're not particularly wanting to go...."  
  
They walled to to the prison deck and then readies to move on.  
  
"What about Hings?" one of the leaders asked her,  
  
"He's not coming," she said as she walked out of the prison area, and Hings was killed by her, "This way, to the hanger area."  
  
A door opened and Zelda with some others came. Shots were sired from crossbows and killed the ones surrounding Zelda.  
  
"That's enough!" Seris runs up and knocks Zelda unconcious, "The more hostages the better."  
  
In the hanger, Jayson was working on a terminal and fixing something with Link. Then, they heard people coming and ignore them as they looked like their own.  
  
"Hey, let me see your badge. You got clearence..." someone asked the group as they got near the Excalibur and started to mess with it. "I asked for your clearence."  
  
"Clear this!" one of the guy said as he took his gun and shot the guy in the head.  
  
"What are you doing!" Jayson said taking out his own gun.   
  
Then another one ran up to them and took out a shotgun like weapon and fired on Jayson and Link, who took cover.  
  
"Damn! They're trying to steal Excalibur!" Jayson shouted  
  
"No shit!" Link shouted as he fired back  
  
Elsewhere, the other intruders ran as the alarms were set and ran out to a transport waiting for them. The ship took off as the intruders too cover fire on an open hatch. While on the ground, security tries to shoot itdown, but to no avail.   
  
Back at the hanger, the Excalibur powered up and was ready to take off.   
  
"Come to mama baby!" The hijacker siad with delight as Excalibur activates.  
  
Outside the suit, Jayson and Link tries to get to Excalibur, but was sepressed with fire. Then, Jayson ran to the left and landed a hit on one of the enemy's head, who fell to the ground dropping his weapon. Before the first guy fell, Jayson hit another one and then jumped up to kick another in the face and off the platform. Jayson then aims his gun at the open cockpit of the suit, but it closed up.  
  
"Damn it!" Jayson shouted as he ran clear.  
  
Excalibur tore through its restrains.  
  
"You'll never be able to handle it, you idiot!" Jayson shouted at the hijacker, but Excalibur soar forward, but the pilot could fly it right and was hitting walls. The escaping suit then made a crash against a wall and fell silent.  
  
Jayson ran to it and opened it up to see that the hijacker was dead. Link ran down to help him.  
  
"You alright?!" Link asked  
  
"I need a status report Sergent!" Jayson demanded as he hauled the dead body away from Excalibur.  
  
"Dr. Manks has been abducted, and they also got Zelda!"  
  
"Damn it! Not Zelda!" Jayson rushes to his cockpit and checks to see if it is alright.  
  
"What should we do?"  
  
Jayson hopped it the suit and put on some headphones, then turned on his radio.  
  
"Calling command center, this is Lt. Jayson Fanel, what is the mission....."  
  
"....Jayson, you live?!" Ganon's voice shouted.  
  
"For the moment. They got Dr. Manks and Zelda. What do you want me to do?"  
  
"Sit tight for now, we'll think of something..." the radio was cut off.  
  
"-but...ahh damn it," Jayson took off his headphones for a moment. Then he turn to Link an dnoticed a suspecious looking stare, "....what?"  
  
"Oh, nothing, you seem desprately worried. I thought I was the only one that can be that panicy..."  
  
"Hmp," but before Jayson can say more, he got a call, "Yes sir..."  
  
"Jayson, listen...we have a mission for you....you mission is to get those two back. If we let both of them fall into the Commonwealth's hands,they'll not just have the abilities to make suits like yours, but they'll use Princess Zelda as a trump card...get them back at all cost."  
  
"Yes sir!" Jayson looks to Link, "Hold the fort here partner."  
  
Link smiled as Jayson dusked off.  
  
Jayson thrusted out of the tunnel like a bullet from a gun and sped at incredible speeds that rivial the speeds of Earth jet fighters. The sleek contors of his suit made no drag in his flight nor any drag would slow him down. His mind is determined, his heart is racing. And in no time at all, he entered Commonwealth airspace.  
  
"Calling Hyrulian Guymelef!" a nearby Commonwealth airbase radioed him, "You have entered restricted airspace! We demand you to turn around or else we will shoot you down!"  
  
Jayson did not answer, but instead he turned off his comm. The base responded without trying to give another warning, and launch bay doors opened up to reveal rockets and they aimed for where Jayson will fly into, since computer technology is not invented yet, so they don't have guided missiles. The rockets roared to life as they flew out from their respected implacements. The rockets head to where Jayson will go. Then the rockets opened up to reveal smaller rockets that sprayed the skies with flying mines. Jayson plowed right through them with ease. Then, he fired his claws at the rest of the rockets and knocked them out of the sky.   
  
  
  
Afterward. he appears from a cloud of dusk and debris of rockets, zooming toward the base where they are keeping Zelda. If Jayson doesn't get her back, the Commonwealth would use her as a hostage. But Jayson would not let that happen.  
  
"Don't worry Zelda...I'm coming!" Jayson said as he grow nearer to the base and ran into some fighters. "Damn, they've already arrived at Mesa base!"  
  
The oncoming fighters fired at Jayson's suit, who blocks with his wings and went right through them. He dashed pasted them and the fighters blew up behind him in his wake. Jayson flew toward a door blocking his way.  
  
"Out of my way!!" Jayson shouted as he readies his blade and then throws a wave of energy at the door and destroyed it with one shot, knocking debris and creating an explosion that destroyed surrounding suits and fighters.   
  
He flew into the hole that he just made and entered a complex structure of mazing tunnels. He wasn't even looking, just flying around and killing everything he sees.  
  
"Where is she!?" Jayson asked himself as helicopter-like fliers appeared in front of him from around the corner and shoots at him with large cannon weapons, but missed Jayson. Jayson return fire, shooting claws at blinding speeds and dodging shoots in an inhuman-like manner.   
  
Jayson then appears from the ned of the tunnel system and sees a whole hanger of shuttes, and dry-docked battleships.  
  
"They must be waiting for a Valient-speed crusiar to take them to the captial if they want a quick getaway." Jayson scanned the area and spots a ship being guarded by a dozen suits, "There she is..."  
  
Jayson jets forward as he was being hammered by fire. He draws his sword and swipes the first one he sees and dices him in half. Then, flies in between two suits and spins 360*, chopping the twos in half, and runs to the one infront of him and slices him from above to the ground and the two behind that he chops a second ago, blew up, just right after the one in front of him crumbled in pieces. Then, another one came from behind him, but he swung around and sliced through the torso area of the enemy suit with simple grace, and then launched three claws at the destroyed suit just for good measure. The suit exploded in front of Jayson and he shoke to the aftershock.   
  
Jayson then look up to see another enemy that was using a big axe to strike him, but he blocked with his sword. This guy was tougher than the ones before.  
  
"Heh! I wonder what idiot would come out her all alone!" the pilot of the other suit said  
  
"Is that you Bearows...." Jayson asked with some knowing that it is  
  
"Oh it's you egghead!"  
  
"Get out of my way!!!" Jayson knocked him backward.   
  
Jayson attacked Bearows with anger as he fury swipe him with his sword and then formed a blade with his left claws. Jayson was blocked several times and hit back but was blocked again.  
  
Meanwhile outside, in the real world. Milerna watched as he struggles in his sleep.  
  
"He's doing it again...this time it seems like he is in a fight." Milerna was interrupted by a voice from behind her.   
  
"He is in a dream state that resembles his quest to find his purpose." A fenale voice said. And from the shadows revealed Zelda, with Ganon, and the rest of Jayson's men at tow, "This is not the first time this had happened."  
  
"Why you're..." Milerna started to say right away realizing who she is, but Zelda finished.  
  
"Zelda, the princess of the Republic of Hyrule."  
  
"Yes, but...why are you doing here?"  
  
Zelda turned to see Van,  
  
"You must be Van, Jayson's brother..." Zelda said  
  
"How do you know who I am?" Van asked  
  
Zelda walked toward Jayson and placed a hand over his forehead.   
  
"He'll be fine once he rediscovers himself again..."  
  
"What do you mean,"  
  
"...A long time ago, he was without purpose..until he discovered it. That purpose was in his heart. His destiny was revealed to him...now he has to find it again, to wake up from this slumber..."  
  
"...and what if he doesn't...what if he...fails...?" Milerna asked  
  
"...Don't think that...if you are truely a sister to him...don't think that he can't do it."   
  
Everyone watches,  
  
Back in Jayson's dream...  
  
Jayson still fights with Bearows.  
  
"Come on kid! Is that all you can give!?" Bearows shouted, "Face it. Even though you have such a powerful melef, strength alone can't save you!"  
  
"ARG!" Jayson attacks again, but was blocked, and then was punched in the face and then the chest. "Damn you..."  
  
Jayson swipes with his other arm-blade and manage to nail him.   
  
Then, to his left he saw Zelda and Dr. Manks trying to escape.   
  
"Zelda!" Jayson looks back at Bearows and then does a back flip and knocks Bearows axe upward. Jayson then stabs at him with his sword and went right through his cockpit. When he pulled out, the axe he knocked upward came crashing down onto the remains of Bearows's suit. "Alright you two, come on!"  
  
Jayson extends a hand to them.  
  
"Let's go doctor," Zelda said as she lead the way, but then Seris appears and fires a warning shot at them.  
  
"Hold it right there!" Seris shouted. "Don't move!"  
  
Jayson watches, but couldn't do anything. He was fast, but not as fast as a bullet.  
  
Then, the ground shook a bit, and Seris lost her footing.   
  
"Let's go!" Zeld shouted as she pulled on Dr. Mank's arm, but then Mank sees that Seris got back up and was about to shoot at Zelda.  
  
"No!" she went behind Zelda and got shot instead.  
  
"Doctor!" Zelda turns back to see her friend down. Jacen moved quickly, stabbing his sword into the hole in the wall and right about Zelda's head. The sword smashed into the area of where Seris was and crushed her.  
  
Dr. Manks was dying.  
  
"Go Zelda. Run."   
  
"I won't forget you," Zelda said and the good doctor died.  
  
"Let's move Zelda, we don't have a lot of time." Jacen said and Zelda jumped before Jayson's cockpit and it opened up. Inside his cockpit, it had more room than other ones, but barely enough for one and a half of a man, but for one teenageboy and one girl, there was space to spare.  
  
The two then lifted off and onto the next battlefield. A comminitcate was sent to Jayson.  
  
"This is Jayson,"  
  
"Lt. Fanel, you are to proceed to the borders of the Commonwealth. You forces will be aiting there."  
  
"What now?"  
  
"Hey Jayson, you ready to rock," Link's voice said over the comm. "Our troops are to advance beyond the neutral zone and storm their captial."  
  
"I'll be there in a moment buddy."  
  
"Oh, is Zelda alright?"  
  
"I'm fine Link, thanks for worrying," Zelda said.  
  
There was a long silence between the two, then Jayson broke it.  
  
"Zelda. I've decided on something..." Zelda looks at him, "No matter what...I will protect you will my life."  
  
"Jayson..."  
  
The two landed at the base. As Jayson steps out, he felt something wrong. He looks around and everything seem to look wavy all of a sudden.   
  
"This...this is not right..." Jayson said as he looked around. Then he heard a new voice, a voice that was too familiar.  
  
"You done being the hero already..." then the entire scene froze and he sees a new face before him.   
  
The new figure had dull green samurai-like armor, that was very similar to the ones that Dilandou and his dragon slayers would wear. He had blue eyes and short wavy hair. And at his left side was a short sword that was very unique and certainly not ordinary. The hilt and handle of the weapon was dark blue and there was a strange symbol on it that was all too familiar to Jacen, which was the triforce sign. This was the Master sword.  
  
"...Link..." all Jayson could say, "You an illiuson too..."  
  
"...Sort of...The end is coming my friend...that is all I can tell you..." Link said  
  
"Yes I know, war will come...this one will be the greatest of all." as Jayson and Link talk about the subject, images of war and battles pass them by. "If only you are alive...I wish to fight along side you again..."  
  
"...perhaps you will see me again one day..."  
  
"What? Are you telling me that you are alive! Or is this just the trick of my mind?"  
  
"You'll fine out what is real and what is not. But one thing is for sure...we can't always be best of friends..."  
  
"What are you saying..."  
  
"...you love her don't you?" Link said very plainly.  
  
Jayson was a bit shocked,  
  
"...yes, what of it..."  
  
"So you never knew did you...old friend...I had feelings for her as well. I loved her as much as you do...but unfortunatly...that seperates us."  
  
"You loved her..."  
  
"...how far would you go...to make her yours...you'll have to kill me..."  
  
"What?" Jayson said as Link advance on him.  
  
"When you were gone all thouse years...she was left with me to comfort her lonilness..though she couldn't forget you, she opened her heart to me."  
  
Link drew his sword.   
  
"The next time we meet...we will stand against each other...as enemies..."   
  
"Link..."  
  
"See you in the battlefield...Jayson Fanel!" Link charged at him, and Jayson drew his sword but was too slow and got stabbed. Link's image then changed to Van's.  
  
"...Van?" Jayson said in shocked and woke up.  
  
He popped up from his bed and shouted out in shock. Hitomi was sitting next to him.  
  
"Jayson, you're awake!" Hitomi shouted and hugged him, "I was so worried about you!"  
  
"Thanks but I'm fine. Just needed a good night's rest," Jayson joked.  
  
"Well, I'm glad you are alright. I'll go tell everyone," Hitomi then touched Jayson's hand and had a vision.  
  
In the vision she saw a flashes of images that she couldn't comprehend. She saw an image of a two men. One was holding a silver colored helmet. The person holding it had long blond hair and the same eyes as Allen's. He was wearing a sort of military uniform that was red and had a sword to his side. The other man had blond hair as well, but was shorter and also the same eyes as Allen. He was also wearing a military-like uniform like the other one, but his was blue. Their clothes look more Earth bound than from Gaiea. And Hitomi saw who they remind her of.  
  
"...Allen?"  
  
Then, she saw a girl about her age. The girl had long, blond, and lustrous hair that flow behind her. Her eyes gave away who she was to Hitomi.  
  
"...Princess Zelda...but," Hitomi then sees that this Zelda look alike was then in the arms of another boy, also her age. "Who's that?  
  
She sees that the two bore rings on their fingers, which meant that they are married.  
  
Then, the flashing of images stopped and became one solid vision, where she saw Jayson, but then she saw two of him. One had dark brown hair and blue eyes, the other had white hair and red eyes. Both were carrying a sword. One was the sword of Fanel and the other one was a long sword. The one with white hair had angel wings on his back, but the other one had demon-like bat wings on his back. Hitomi saw the two facing each other, each going for the other's head. Both screaming for the other's blood. As the two clashed, the scene changed.   
  
Hitomi stands in a battlefield on Earth. She saw giant mechs shooting at each other. And on the group, troops with guns charged at each other. As the war rages all around her, she ducks down and holds her head. Then, Jayson snaps her out of it.  
  
"Hitomi!" Jayson grabbed her, "...What did you see..."  
  
Hitomi looked at him and was scared,  
  
"Tell me what you saw." Jayson asked again. "Was it the future you saw? What did you see?"  
  
"The future...death...bloodlust...I saw you Jayson," Hitomi's words shocked Jayson, "And I saw you fighting yourself."  
  
"What? What are you saying?"  
  
"...the future...is going to be a troubling and disturbing one...when one battle ends...another one will begin...another war...this one will engulf our home Jason...it will take many lives. Just like this one will..."  
  
"Calm down Hitomi, you might be good at predicting the future, but what you say might not take place for a while on our home," Jason said,  
  
"Yes...you're right...this world on our home front will be started by us...and ended by us..."  
  
"Started...ended by us...what do you mean?"  
  
"I don't know..."  
  
Then, Zelda enters the room.  
  
"You're awake Jayson...I'm glad."  
  
Hitomi stood up and starts to walk out.  
  
"I'll leave you two alone," and she walks out the door.  
  
Zelda approaches Jayson and sat down.  
  
"...you saw him too..." Jayson looked up at her, "You saw Link."  
  
From that Jayson was even more shocked.  
  
"I saw him too...too many times that plagued my dreams." As she speaks, images of her dreams become reality.  
  
Jayson and Link was on the battlefield. They were fighting each other, going at each other's throats.  
  
"I saw you and him...fighting each other..."  
  
"But...isn't he dead..."  
  
"...Do you really believe that?" She looks into Jayson's eyes  
  
"...no...he's too good to died from something like that..."  
  
"So you think that he is alive."  
  
"But why would I fight him...he's a brother to me...but-" Jayson remembers what Link said to him in his dream. "Perhaps it is true..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Oh nothing...maybe it will be revealed in time...if we survive all this..."   
  
Jayson got up and walked with her out to join the rest, who were in the throne room talking to Duke Fried.   
  
"This is only th beginning...of things to come..."  
  
To be continued... 


	10. Chapter IX

Escaflowne  
  
Chapter IX  
  
Rain of Blood  
  
"Of all the subjects of human behavior, two are most storied: warfare and love."  
  
~Cogitor Eklo, from the Dune books.  
  
The group was in the throne room, where Duke Fried talks to them.  
  
"I was told of your story. King of Fanelia...as a governing monarch...I sympathize with you for the tragedy your country has suffered..." Duke Fried said with sympathy.  
  
"I appreciate that very much, Duke Freid...yes my kingdom was lost...but I will get them back for it one day..."  
  
"We are aware of Zaibach's advances. Therefore, I returned to the capital, Godasim, as quickly as possible." Then, the duke's voice changed and he faced Allen with rage, "However...Allen! No matter what your reason is...it is disloyal and thoughtlessness for a knight to disobey his sovereign and leave his country. Did you think that I'd rely on such a dishonorable man?"  
  
Then, Chid tried to defend Allen.  
  
"Allow me to speak! Allen and his country risked their lives for our country! They prevailed over the Deceptant, and defeated Zaibach's scout units-"  
  
"Silence child! It's too early for you to give me advice. Your selfish act might have ruined the country!"  
  
Then, a new voice said from behind them all.  
  
"Then, let me speak for him..." Jayson enters the room with Zelda at his side, "...Duke Fried..."  
  
"Jayson..."  
  
"Forgive me for being impertinent, my fellow brother...Your Majesty... Zaibach's invasion is madness. Their deed will draw all of Gaiea into war. Fanelia won't be the only one to suffer from tragedy. Moreover, Freid is their next target. Allen came here to warn you and to fight for you! How can you dismiss a man with such honor in his blood. To fight for what is right-" Then, Milerna interrupts Jayson's train of thought as she enters the room,  
  
"Princess Milerna..." Duke Fried said  
  
"Unfortunately, my father...no...I will not call him that anymore...nor can I no longer call you brother, too because...I gave up on my country also." She continues stunning Duke Fried, "King Aston, appears to be overlooking this. He said that it's best for Asturia. However, if all Gaea falls into Zaibach's hands...I doubt that Asturia alone could maintain the peace. Allen...Allen Schezar tried to prevent it from happening, and came to Freid. He scarficed his honor to warn you. Your Majesty...Please forgive Allen!"  
  
"...Millerna...You've become such a wonderful woman. You are wise and generous. Asturia has a good princess...Allen, will you join my forces and fight against Zaibach?"  
  
"My life will be in your hands," Allen said  
  
"When I see such a look of determination on you...I expect nothing but the best from you." And the duke leaves the room.   
  
As the duke walks pass Hitomi, she sees that there is something odd about how Duke Fried acts. Nothing like the traits that Chid has shown.  
  
"He's Chid's father?" Hitomi said  
  
Elsewhere, Folken and Dornkirk talks about the situation.  
  
"A girl from the Mystic Moon?"  
  
"Yes, she can easily locate the Guymelefs in the Stealth Cloak. It's also said that she guides the dragon to a better situation by predicting the future."  
  
"Wonderful. I want to see her power that interferes with my destiny predictor."  
  
The communicator turns off. At the Zaibach captial, Dornkirk thinks to himself.  
  
"Earth...It only exists in my distant memory."  
  
Back in Fried, troops prepare for battle. Guymelef divisons stood in position along the borders. The Hyrule fortress hangs above the city. Inside, Jayson and Ganon preps for battle. On a strategy board, they discuss their moves.  
  
"Well, Duke Fried wants us to pull back a majority of our troops." Jayson said  
  
"They said they will retreat! What cowardly act! We should call upon all our forces and strike them before they reach this city!" Ganon shouted  
  
"No...we should do what the Duke suggests. It is for the best...plus we don't have enough power to repel so many troops from Zaibach...even if we have the advantage of warfare...numbers still play a big role in battle."  
  
"Sigh...I understand. We'll move our gun teams away with Duke Fried and surprise them with them at the end...a hundred years ago, we started out with swords and arrows...then we invented muzzle loaded rifles...and cannons, then single shot rifles with cartiages...we are advancing too fast...some of us even opposes to such advancements...saying that we should take it slowly."  
  
"At times I would believe that...but...these times calls for desperate measures. We must put an end to this before this drags on."  
  
"Our reinforcements won't arrive until three days!" Ganon said "By that time we would have been overrun..."  
  
"Make do with what we have." Jayson said and walked toward the view screen that overlooks the city beneath them. "But on the third day we will push them back with such a force...that all of Giaea will know."  
  
"Yes," Ganon bows Jayson and left the command center.  
  
"Well...you can't blame a guy for trying..." Jason said in his head, and he smiles.  
  
In a room, Millerna bandages Allen. Mole Man leaves, but spies from outside.  
  
"It looks fine. Your wound's healing."  
  
Allen didn't respond to her, but instead thinks of Marlene. Milerna then embraces Allen.  
  
"Allen, I don't care about Asturia or Freid. I'll be fine as long as you're safe."  
  
Then, Merle shows up and surprises Mole man.  
  
"Whatcha ya doin'?"  
  
"N...nothing."  
  
Then, Merle enters the room,  
  
"Allen, did Hitomi come here?"  
  
"No, she hasn't."  
  
"I see. Sorry for bothering you."  
  
Hitomi was leaning over a balcony. She was very calm, but then she keeps seeing Zongi dying again.  
  
"Oh, no! Why... why can I see it?"  
  
"Oh, well..." Merle's voice said, "...I'll never get bored watching you."  
  
"You don't understand how I feel."  
  
""Oh no! Why can I see it?" "No, why... why?" It's annoying. Anyway, Lord Van's calling you!"  
  
In a hanger, Van and the Crusade crew helps him tune up his suit. Van ws sharpening his sword.  
  
"Man, it's got scratches all over! Your sword handling is so rough."Kio said  
  
"Is it?"  
  
"It is. Scherazade's sword has no scratches at all." Reeden said  
  
"I'm sorry about this. My swordplay isn't as good as Allen's."  
  
"Oh, the King's all sulky."  
  
"He's joking." Gadess said, "Even the boss damages his sword. Not as bad as you, though."  
  
Elsewhere later in the evening, Milerna wonders around and stumbles upon a manor. The manor had the looks of a victorian style to it if it were compared to Earth history. Inside, she sees Duke Fried looking at a picture of Marlene. He seemed calm, but inside he long to be with his late wife.  
  
"Uh, Duke Fried." the Duke was taken surprised a bit, because he was draw in a trance.  
  
"Princess Millerna."  
  
"This place is..."  
  
"A seperate manor Marlene used. The complex was relocated before the marriage."  
  
"Everything looks just as it did."  
  
"Yes, everything has been kept as she left it. Feel free to use it. Marlene would be very happy."  
  
As he leaves Milerna to look around. She then walks into a small study room. It had book shelves along its walls and a table with a candle next to it. Milerna sits down and sees a strange looking music box.  
  
"I remember this," Milerna opens it and it plays a cheerful song. Milerna flashes back to the time long ago when her sister had to leave.  
  
Flashback  
  
This took place several years ago, about five years to be percise. Milerna was sad that her eldest sister is leaving her.  
  
"You're really leaving, Sister?" the young Milerna asked  
  
"Millerna...I'm sorry,"  
  
"Marlene..." a younger Jayson said as he walks into the room, "It's time..."  
  
"...Yes...I'll miss you, too dear brother. I wish we had more time to get to know each other. Take care of our sisters."  
  
"I will, dear sister."  
  
The wedding takes place. And Marlene leaves with Duke Fried.  
  
"Sister, I wish you the best." Milerna said as she watches Marlene fly off.  
  
End of Flashback  
  
The calm gentle music stops and Milerna notices someone walking toward him. It was Jayson, she realized, as he enters the room, with Zelda at tow.   
  
"Oh, Jayson. Feeling better?"  
  
"Yes Milerna, I'm fine..." He looks around, "Such memories of the past. Some sweet...others sorrowful...and then some...unsettling..."  
  
"Jayson?" Jayson walks to the music box. "What are you-"  
  
"Hmmm...I wonder if it's still here," Jayson taps on one of the keys and the box turned around to reveal a hidden panel and a book.  
  
"What is this?" Milerna said as Jayson holds up the book.  
  
"...Zelda, please leave us..." Zelda bows a bit and walks out. "This book...you should read it."  
  
Elsewhere, Hitomi sits by a pond and thinks about what she said to Van. She didn't want him to take advantage of her powers. It was already late at night, but she didn't feel like sleeping. Then, Chid walks up to her.  
  
"Hitomi, can't you sleep?" he asked  
  
"Prince Chid...I feel like if I go to sleep now, I'll never wake up." Chid sits down next to her.  
  
"I'm the same. Even though I tried to sleep, things about war came to my mind and I couldn't stop shivering. I don't deserve to be Duke, as Father said."  
  
Van was in a courtyard and practices his shooting with arrows. he tries to imagine the target and cleses his eyes, but when he did, he remembers Hitomi and missed.  
  
"Don't rely on me!" he heard her again, and misses again.  
  
"I won't be like father. Mother wanted me to be a great leader, that's why she told me about Allen. But I won't be able to meet Father and Mother's expectations." Chid continues.  
  
"Prince Chid...I was told that people have mysterious powers. My grandmother told me. Keep the wishes of how you want to be and what you want to do strongly in your mind. Then the wishes will come true."  
  
"The wish will come true..."  
  
Van prepares to shoot again.  
  
"It's true, isn't it? When we wish strongly, we try hard and keep working. But if you think you're not good and can't do anything... ...or if you think your wish won't come true...that will be the real outcome. If you wish strongly enough...it'll reach the stars someday, and they will give you the power in the end."  
  
"Power from the stars..." Then, Van hit the center of the target and was surprised.  
  
"Prince Chid, I'll read your fortune. I will ask the stars. You have to rely on the stars when you read the tarot cards. I'll read your fortune."  
  
Back with Milerna and Jayson, she read the book aloud. As she reads, things that never occur to her, came in mind. She imagines all the images from the descrition of the book.   
  
"-'Thirty-fourth of Yellow...Uncle Nueva took me out to see a military arts championship. It was because he was concerned about me staying indoors most of the time, but...I was not interested in the military arts. The only thing that brighten my day was the visit of my step brother, Jayson. I remember meeting him when he was just a young boy. How handsome has he become. He was in the tournament as well...But...that other one. A young prodigy swordsman of Asturia's Knights...His name is Allen Schezar.'-This is Marlene's diary!" she looks to Jayson in shock.  
  
"Read on."  
  
" -Twelve of Green...my step brother, Jayson and Allen was appointed as Knights of Caeli. Only twelve honorable swordsmen of Asturia carry the title. A Knight of Heaven...Allen indeed deserves the title. He was ordered to guard the royal palace and came to Castle Palas. My pressure on Father seemed to have worked.'-Oh, sister..."  
  
Hitomi in the meantime was reading Chid's fortune.  
  
"L'Imperatore...Giustizia...Don't worry. You'll learn many things and gain respect from the people."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"La Luota - Overcoming possible hardships and-" Hitomi then sees Marlene, "What was that?"  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"N...nothing."  
  
Meanwhile, as Milerna reads on, strange disturbing revelations are revealed to her.   
  
"-'Third of Red, the marriage between Duke Freid and I was settled. Why was I born in a royal family? I like him. I fell in love with him. He said that this is the destiny of women born into a royal family and a knight. Even though I love you so much, Allen.'-Marlene and Allen where-" she looks to Jayson again, "You knew?!"   
  
"I was the only one Allen told...as a knight of honor I couldn't tell a soul..."  
  
"What is this?" Hitomi sees Allen and Marlene together, "Allen?!"  
  
Marlene continues to read, ever so shocked at the next pasges she reads.  
  
"-No doubt, the baby's from that night. If I tell the King about this, what would he say...He can only count the days and...But, there's no way I can hide it. I-" Milerna stopped reading, seeming to not be able to take much more truth. She closes the book.  
  
"What's wrong, Hitomi?" Chid asked as Hitomi was giving him a blank stare.  
  
"Sorry, I couldn't concentrate. One more time..." she then talks to herself. "An inverted card of La Imperatice...a result of...Forbidden love..."  
  
"So, Chid is Allen and Marlene's son?" Milerna said  
  
"...Yes..." Jayson then left.   
  
Meanwhile, at the border of Freid, large fleets of Floating Fortresses approach. It was a fleet that stretches as far as the eyes can see. General Adelphos stands ready at his fortress. Though the grand fleet of Zaibach were unlike the ships that Hyrule uses in their modern fleets, they still pose a great threat.  
  
"What a magnificent sight." the red general said, "All four generals of Zaibach simultaneously mobilized after so long."  
  
"General Adelphos, I'm pleased that you're leading the army in this war." the excutive officer said.  
  
"All groups are in position sir!" another soldier shouted  
  
"Very well! The time has come!" the great general drew his sword and points it forward, "The gods are on our side! All forces, deploy!"  
  
A lot of troops head out from his fleet. Nearby on another fortress, another general, readies to move out.  
  
"Bronze Army, move out!" A lot more troops rain down from the sky. Then, at another fortress, another general delpoy his forces  
  
"Steel Army, move out!" a lot more troops deployed. And another...  
  
"Silver Army, move out!"   
  
On the ground, thousands of infantrymen and guymelefs march the plains and swamp land. There were countless of them. A vast army of stone cold faces. All ready to die for their empire.   
  
At the captial, Duke Freid was calling in one last meeting.  
  
"Your Majesty, the enemy has taken up positions on four sides." Boris said, "They number 55,000 infantry and 10,000 Guymelefs. Even though we're on the defensive..."  
  
"Boris, you know the fate of the people born in Freid, don't you?"  
  
"Today is the day to follow the 'Chapter of the Lion' in our ancestral tome, isn't it?"  
  
"Chapter of the Lion in our ancestral tome...?" Chid was confused.  
  
Outside, soldiers rush to defend the city. Jayson stood in his melef on the fortress and stood to see from the view over the hills and cliffs, were thousands of Zaibach soldiers. He then got out of his suit and went to the Hyrule commanders. One of them held a bow behind his back, with twin matching daggers at his sides, and long blond hair.   
  
"Commander Legolas," Jayson called out, "What's the status of our forces?"  
  
The very old but still young looking elf warrior looked up at Jayson and smiled a bit,  
  
"Our main forces have been pulled from the front line to the secondary base at Fortuna temple. We are extremely outnumbered...this is going to be a losing battle, Jayson."  
  
"Haven't you been in many situations like this one?" Jayson asked, "I recalled you were at the battle of Helm's Deep, and the battles of Gondor."  
  
"Heh, far too many battles have I seen...but that was a long time ago...with the weapons that we have today, we possess the power to bring forth more destruction than our all our ansectors combined..."  
  
"Then, I guess I need to start calling you 'old man' from now on when you start saying things like that."  
  
"Hey, just because I'm about 1,000 years older than you doesn't mean I deserved to be called that," Jayson smiled, "Also, strength and wisdom comes with age for my people."  
  
"Heh...This is not the real battle. We need to distract them and then pull out to join the main force. I don't want any heroics or arrogant tactics."  
  
"But Jayson, wasn't it heroics and arrogance that got our races this far...sigh, I wish Aragorn, and Gimli were alive. This would have been a glorious battle for them to fight in."  
  
"It's tough to know friends that you would outlast. But then why did you return from the Undying Lands?"  
  
Legolas smiled again,  
  
"To see the face of battle...one last time...this war might possible be...the greatest of wars to come...how could I miss out on a chance like this..."  
  
"Well I'll leave the coordinations up to you..." Jayson turned and enters his melef. "I'll lead my troops to battle."  
  
And with that. Jayson jumped out of the landing pat and down to the ground to join the rest of his forces. Just a few moments ago, he shared his last moments with Zelda.  
  
Flashback  
  
In a Zelda's room about an hour ago. Zelda and Jayson were in each other's arms. This might be the last time they would see each other.  
  
"Stay safe, Jayson," Zelda said,   
  
"I'm not making any promises though-" but Zelda wouldn't accept that,  
  
"-No...promise me you'll come back alive. I don't want to lose you..." She looked into Jayson's eyes.   
  
"...I promise..." Jayson said reluctantly.  
  
"...I love you..." the two kissed and Jayson left.  
  
End of Flashback  
  
Back in reality, Jayson looked on his viewer and saw his comrades on the battlefield, waiting for him.  
  
"Report Major Kyle!" Jayson shouted with an authortative voice. As any commander of an army should be.  
  
"All units reporting in. Our troops are strong and willing to die for our cause, but...we don't have enough firepower to repel them...this is suicide..."  
  
"...We will do what we can...this will be a glorious death for us if we would fall..." Jayson stands before his forces. "To those that do not want to participate in this battle, retreat behind the line...I understand your fear...whoever wants to leave can do so now."  
  
But no one move. Everyone was ready to fight, to die for whatever cause.   
  
"Then, let us march on and face our enemies."   
  
Jayson's forces moves toward the font line. Behind them was the army of Freid. Their numbers are about the same size.  
  
On the floating fortress, Vione, Folken watches.  
  
"The Dragon Slayers are in position." Dilandou said  
  
"Have them wait for a while." Folken said, "Verify timing of your assault."  
  
"I know...Commander." Dilandou said back  
  
"...Van..." Folken said  
  
On the ground again, Jayson looked back to see that Hyrule's single fortress has retreated, but most of its fleet remained. Jayson jets up and lands onto of the main battleship of the group.  
  
"Hyperion," Jayson said, "Give me a line to their fortresses. Open a channel."  
  
"Transmition from the leader of the unidentified resistance group." a soldier said to Folken and he heard Jayson's voice and so does the rest of the fleet.  
  
"This is an unprovoked attack upon this soverenty...I am general Jayson Aston Fanel of the Republic of Hyrule's Armed Forces. I demand that you cease your hostile actions and leave...otherwise we will show no quarters."  
  
"Brother..." Folken said,   
  
At where General Adelphos.  
  
"Such arrogance!" the great general of Zaibach said, "Who the hell does he think he is! Dilandou!"   
  
"Yes, sir!"  
  
"Give the bastard my answer!"  
  
"With pleasure..." Dilandou flew up and show a bolt of metal at Jayson, but Jayson deflected the shot and opened up his suit's angel wings. His presence alone on the battlefield seem to have made all the soldiers on both side take notice.  
  
"If that is your answer..." Jayson said in reluctance, "Then so be it..."  
  
And his forces mobilizes. Jayson landed back on ground. Behind him were his friends and allies. First the Zaibach infantry moved in first, behind them were their melef units.  
  
"Gun teams line up in positions!" Jayson commanded and his troops with long rifles marched up a hill and readies their guns. "Ready bayonets!"  
  
His troops unsheaths daggers from their sides and attached them to their rifles and readies. The Zaibach ground infantry keep advancing and charging over the hills.  
  
"Take aim!" Jayson drew his guymelef's sword. The Zaibach ground troops ran toward them, not knowing what to expect. "Open fire!"  
  
Jayson throws his sword forward and points at the onslaught and his troops pulled triggers and barraged the first wave of soldiers, killing most of them instantly, but more came.  
  
"Second volley, fire!" Jayson shouted out and another line of troops took positions and fired at the crowd of soldiers. "Support cannons! Fire!"  
  
From behind them, cannons stood ready and fired and large arches over the battlefield and landed on the advancing column of troopers. But then, the guymelefs went through the barrage, and straight into Jayson's column with lightning speed.  
  
"Close combat! Gun teams, fire at will! All units, draw your swords!" Jayson shouted and his guymelef units drew swords, spears, and other weapons and clashed with the guymelef units.  
  
The armies of Hyrule and Freid clashes with the armies of Zaibach. Jacen's men on the ground charged forward at the infantry units of Zaibach, in an attempt to push them back or at least slow and stop their advances.   
  
Jacen leans forward as the Zaibach guymelefs flew in his directions. He readies his swords and stands ready. His Guymelef carries two long swords, almost katana looking. He swings them around and prepares to charge.  
  
"Everyone prepare yourselves!" Jayson shouted. "Till death do we stop, and even if we face death, we'll spit it in the face before we accept it!"  
  
Jayson's troops positions themselves behind and besides him.   
  
"Charge them!" Jayson ran first and clashed with the Zaibach melefs that got too close to him. He chops up the fiirst one in half and moved on.  
  
Troops below Jayson's feet were his troops clashing with Zaibach ground infantry. Some were shooting, but the rest were using swords. The Zaibach forces were too great. Soldiers from Zaibach fell to the guns of the Hyrule forces, but their overwhelming number overran too many positions.   
  
Jacen destroyed another melef and looks around.   
  
"We can't win this..." He was distracted for a moment and then his arms and legs were bind with claws from the Alseidies, but he spun himself loose, throwing all the Zaibach melefs around all over the place. "But..."  
  
He cuts away at another melef.  
  
"But I will not lose!" he punches another one and spun around, bringing his blade to the Alseidies's head.   
  
He and his force continued to fight against the overwhelming Zaibach forces, but on soldier was about to give up. Each were willing to give their life.  
  
Jayson's melef was joined by another commando melef. This one was lean and dull brown in color. It was armed with with short, swords with curved blades. Jayson's and the new one went back to back.  
  
"Ah, Legolas!" Jayson shouted as he fend off another attack, "Nice of you to join me on this lovely day!"  
  
The two changed places with Jayson at where Legolas was a moment before. Legolas deflects several attacks, and then cuts one down that came at him.  
  
"Yes, isn't it a good day to die?!" Legolas shouted back  
  
"Heh!" Jayson kicked one in the leg and bashed both his swords at the one's shoulders, "Try to centralize our forces, and have them consolidate our power!"  
  
"I think it would be wise for us to begin the retreat now!"  
  
"Not yet!" Jayson launched some of his own claws at the enemies, impaling some in the chest areas and heads.  
  
"We'll get ourselves killed if we drag this on!" Legolas shouted back as blocks an attack.  
  
"Heh, I'm not planning on dying yet!" he swiched places back to his original spot and kills the one that Legolas was defending.  
  
"Then, at least we agree on something!"  
  
From the main fortress, General Adolphas watches with impatiency.   
  
"Damn them. Those annoying fools are more resistent than expect..." The great general looks onward. "Intensify our forces toward the center. I don't want us to look bad against these ignorant people."  
  
"Sir, we have incoming!" a soldier shouted  
  
The General looks forward and sees the new threat.  
  
From the skies, about several dozen objects came toward the general's fortress. They were fighters. Their designs were pretty sleek, except their twin leva stones on their wings. From under their wings, was an aray of rockets and bombs. From their sides were twin machine guns. The Zaibach melefs that remained in the sky, engaged the Hyrule fighters.  
  
"Fighters straight ahead!" the lead Hyrule fighter said  
  
"Roger Alpha leader!" a wingmate shouted back  
  
"Roger Alpha leader!" another one shouted as the squadran took evasives and attacked.  
  
The fighters were much more faster and maneverable than the flying melefs of Zaibach.   
  
"Alpha 2 through 9 take the fortress to the left. My wing, take the one ahead of myself." the lead fighter flew straight on at another fortress. "Take formation and ready to destroy these abominations!"  
  
The fighters had a strange array of rocket-like weapons on the underside of their wings. They started to light up as they prepare to fire.  
  
"Lock on an on my command! Alpha one...fox 3!" a rocket flew out of the fighter and straight at the bridge of a fortress and then another.  
  
"Alpha 2, fox 4!" another rocket flew out.  
  
As another rocket launched out of their respected fighters and into the clearly seeable bridge of the floating fortress. The rockets hit home and severally damaging the fortress. At another fortress, Hyrule fighters and bombers attack, picking of one fortress after another.  
  
From the sides of the fighters, gun ports of automatic weapons fired continuous rounds at their enemies. But the fast fighters did not escape damage from the Alseidies that pursue them. A few fighters were knocked out of the sky instantly.  
  
Several Alseidies that were flying few toward the Hyrule captial ships and attacked. The captain of the Tigerclaw sees them coming.  
  
"Get defenses up now. I want those things down!" the captain shouted  
  
Outside along the hull of the captial ships were gun turrets. Some were large cannons and others were machine guns. They fired at the oncoming Zaibach melefs and managed to take a few out. Though the battleships didn't escape damage.   
  
"Breach on level 3 captain!" a soldier said  
  
"Mantain our positions until general Fanel gives the clearance!" The ship shook a bit from the last attack.  
  
Back on the ground, Jayson and his forces were hard pressed against the walls and gates of the captial and the nonstopping slaughter of Zaibach troops.   
  
"Jayson!" Kyle shouted, "We're losing positions from all sides! Everyone is being pushed back!"  
  
"I believe it's time to go!" Legolas shouted as he destroys another melef.   
  
Jayson thought for a moment and then looks back up.  
  
"Right! Signal the fleet and our forces to pull back!" Jayson finally said, "All troops, pull back!"  
  
"Sir!" one of his guymelef troops came running to him, "The Freid soldiers are refusing to pull back!"  
  
"What?" Jayson was a bit shocked as he dodged another shot at him.  
  
"They're saying that they'll cover us! They are not leaving!"  
  
"Damn them and their pride!" Jayson looks back at the battlefield. "Fine, let's pull back! They can't hold the line without us for too long!"  
  
And soon, Jayson's troops fled the battle. Ships flew back and the Zaibach forces didn't even need to break a sweat to overwhem the Freid forces.  
  
Several minutes later, Zaibach troops were marching through the Freid captial. Burning buildings and bloody corpses are all over the place. It was no longer a battle, but a massacre. Dilandou's Dragonslayer unit stands before the palace.  
  
"Shester, have you found the dragon?" Dilandou asked   
  
"No, I haven't, sir." Shester answered, "The enemy Melefs are almost annihilated. We've secured the castle."  
  
Something was worrying Dilandou. He sensed something was amiss.  
  
"Something's wrong. This battle was too easy. They didn't even put up much of a resistence. And dragon isn't around, too. That's strange."  
  
"Our forces has entered the citadel. Shall we proceed inside as well?" Shester asked  
  
"No...the Dragon Slayers will stay here."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Don't make me repeat myself. We'll wait until the dragon makes its move."  
  
Back at the floating fortress, Folken watches.  
  
"Lord Folken, the Dragon Slayers have stopped advancing." a soldier said  
  
"Just like you, Dilandau. We won't be able to obtain the legendary treasure of Freid so easily, will we?"  
  
Deep inside the palace, Boris waits. As the Zaibach forces reached him he does nothing to resist.  
  
"There's a survivor." a soldier said, and one of the Alseidies shoots Boris, fatally injurying him.  
  
"I won't let you have the treasure of Freid!" Boris tried to say, "Prince Chid, please, be safe."  
  
And with his last ounce of strength he smashed a giant stone sphere and the entire structure began to collapse. The castle collapses around them. Dilandau watches in shock as the castle crumbles in front of them.  
  
"W...what the...?!" Dilandou said as he tries to maintain his balance. Then, he sees a convoy of Freid ships escaping and the rest of the Hyrule forces retreat with them. "Well done...We were set up. A sacrifice? They sacrificed their army on such a scale. I'm impressed. You're incredible, Freid!"  
  
Dilandou laughs sinsterly.  
  
At the Freid flagship, Chid looks out a window and sees in shock his home being destroy before his eyes. Van watches and felt empathy for him.  
  
"The castle...the castle is burning. Boris, everyone...Everyone died, so we could escape." Chid falls to his knees with tears.  
  
Van has a flashback from earlier. Escaflowne steps out of the melef hanger.  
  
"Please restrain yourself, King of Fanelia!" Boris said  
  
"Boris? What is it?"  
  
"I've come to ask you a tremendous favor."  
  
"I know! That's why I'm going to protect the gate...My brother awaits me to fight along side him."  
  
"That's our duty! Lord Van, I'm counting on you to protect the Duke when they retreat."  
  
Chid continues to cry for his lost comrades. But then, Duke Freid shouts at him.  
  
"Don't cry! If you have time to cry, then watch closely, Chid! Behold Boris and the others, who sacrificed their lives...the fate of those who were born in Freid...and your responsibility as the future Duke! Don't weep! You're the Prince of Freid!"  
  
Allen looks at Chid with a sad face. Milerna notices him.  
  
"Allen, your eyes seem so sad, looking at Chid. Chid is yours and Marlene's..."  
  
Milerna remembers from earlier that Duke Freid said that Chid is his child.   
  
"Chid and I are the only ones who didn't know..."  
  
"The castle's dissappearing from sight..." Hitomi said  
  
Outside, Jayson and his forces gather at their respected carriers.  
  
"Let our men rest. The real battle will begin soon..." Jayson looks back at the captial that was burning, "...so much death...but more will come before this war end."  
  
Meanwhile on the Vione, Folken talks to Dornkirk.  
  
"Folken, my fate predictor has made an error. The object we're searching for is in the west of Godasim."  
  
"West?" Folken thought, "Fortona Temple..."  
  
"I want to see our ideal future as soon as possible. The image of our bright future..."  
  
Dornkirk's old face disappears from the screen. Folken thinks to himself again.   
  
"Fortona Temple...the oldest temple in Freid." Folken said to himself, "So it is there?"  
  
  
  
Fortuna temple was within a gigantic crater. Inside dozens of monks pray as the Duke enters.  
  
"The time for our final battle has come." Duke Freid said, "We must stop at nothing to protect the legendary treasure of Freid. I came to the last fort, Fortona, to ask you, the Zegu Clan, for help."  
  
One of the new soldiers walks up to the Duke,  
  
"We knew. Our clan exists only for this day. We will not waste the sacrifice of Boris and the others. That is the fate of those born in Freid." the soldier holds out a huge sword to Duke Freid, "Your Majesty, I want to return the sword we've been protecting."  
  
Freid takes the sword. The sword had an energist on the bottom of the handle. Then he looks at Chid.  
  
"Chid, I'll tell you the fate of those born in the royal family. King of Fanelia...Allen...since we're going to fight together, I want you to listen as well."  
  
  
  
Jayson was outside and stands ready. He looks out and sees from the horizon, the Zaibach army.  
  
"They grow closer with each passing hour." Jayson said and then he sees another black Guymelef walking up to him, "Hmm..."  
  
The pilot of the black melef was Ganondorf.  
  
"Hey, Ganon, what do you think you are doing?" Jayson asked  
  
"Heh, you think I'll let you have all the fun, kid." Ganon said as he took up a huge long sword.  
  
"This is not like the old battles we used to have." Jayson readies his position. Then he ignores Ganondorf's presence and focuses on his troops. "Soldiers! My friends! My comrades in arms!!"  
  
Jayson's forces stops and looks at him at make a final statement. Jayson continues to look at the horizon and sees the ever closing fleet. He raised his sword and shout out at the top of his lungs.  
  
"Til death!" and his men shouted with him in an uproar.   
  
Men took positions and readies themselves.   
  
Back inside the temple, Duke Freid leads Chid along with Van, Allen, Milerna, Hitomi, and Merle into a huge room. There was a statue at the center.  
  
"Man, this feels creepy," Merle said,  
  
"What...what is this place?" Hitomi asked, "It feels...strange...like I've been here before. What is this mysterious power I'm feeling?"  
  
The Duke takes the sword and unsheathes it. Then stabs it into a large key hole on the ground. The energist from the sword started to glow bright. Then, only Hitomi saw it. A 3D image of a draconian appears above the sword and then disappears. Then from the red energist, it projects strange ancient writings on the wall.  
  
"That's-" Allen quickly realized what those writings were.  
  
"Yes...Yes, it is written in the ancient language of Atlantis. The legendary treasure we've been protecting is the power of Atlantis. Everything's written upon it.  
  
"Atlantis?" Allen said  
  
Hitomi looked a little pale, for she was seeing things. Merle takes a notice of her.  
  
"What's wrong Hitomi?" Merle asked,   
  
"I...Ican see it..." She sees another vision. It was very similar to the one that she had when the memory of Jayson talked to her in her mind. She sees Atlantis, in all its glory. "Because of their great power, they became conceited, and proclaimed themselves gods."  
  
She sees many images of Atlantis. It was a place of paradise. A place that is nearly perfect. Something that everyone hope to achieve.  
  
"They converted people's wishes to power, and governed Atlantis." Hitomi continued,   
  
"However..." Duke Freid said  
  
Now Hitomi sees Atlantis when it falls. The entire country was being burned by fire. Fire that stretched across the landscape. Nothing survived...  
  
Then, Hitomi felt feverish from the vision and loses balance.  
  
"Hitomi?" Merle catches her.  
  
Duke Freid continues with the rest of the story.  
  
"Atlantis was destroyed because of that power. So no one could use such power again...the survivors sealed the power beneath Fortona Temple. The duty of Freid's royal family is to protect the key to the seal." The Duke looks at Chid, "Chid, do not let anyone resurrect the power of Atlantis. If you're my son, you'll understand."  
  
"Yes...father..." Chid replied.  
  
Later on, Hitomi finds Van standing before Escaflowne.  
  
"Van..." Hitomi said, and looks at Van.  
  
Van was trying very hard in his head to imagine Escaflowne move. As if he was trying to bend it to the will of his mind. Then, Hitomi interrupts his focus.  
  
"Van?" Van turns around and smiles.  
  
"Oh, Hitomi. What is it?"  
  
"Allen is looking for you, and I thought you'd probably be here."  
  
"I see..."  
  
"You look pale. What have you been doing?"  
  
"Doing what you told me. I apologize..." Van looks back at Escaflowne, "I'm sorry...for asking you such things like that without considering your feelings that time."  
  
Hitomi remembers her outburst in front of him.   
  
"It's alright. I was a little hysterical. That was embarrassing."  
  
"You told me about something called...dowsing, didn't you? I was practicing it."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"You told me you can see something invisible if you project it into your mind. So, I've decided not only to use Escaflowne...but to visualize it, so I can improve my control. I'm not going to just use it, I'll make it a part of me while fighting."  
  
"Van..."   
  
Van walks up very close to her. He looks at her. She then returns the gaze and for a few seconds, it seemed like eternity. Then, Van snapped out of it and looks away. He then walks away.  
  
"Van..." Hitomi looks back at Escaflowne and then Escaflowne's energist glows a bit, as if it was reacting to something.  
  
She then has another series of visions.   
  
In the new visions, she sees an entire battlefield all cover in blood red. Red clouds rain blood all over the ground. Bloody corpses are all over the place. Hitomi was in a state of shock. She looks around, but she couldn't move. As she looked forward, she sees a bloody Duke Freid stands in front of her.  
  
"Duke Freid?" Hitomi was looking on in shock. The blood continues to rain from the skies.   
  
Then it looks like the Duke was melting away into a swirling pool of blood. His face was grim, with remorse, and regret.   
  
She then sees something else. The scenes moves to another battlefield. A scene that was a battlefield anyway. Fresh blood was spilled on the lands. He sees two figures standing in the middle of all this madness. They were Guymelefs. One was black as the night can get and the other was as white as the blinding rays of the sun. The battlefield then started to rain. The rain was the color of blood. As if the heavens bleed out.  
  
Hitomi falls to her knees and looks at her hands. Her hands were covered with thick stains of blood that was like a liquid glove of a deep and bright red color. She stares at her hands in terror.  
  
"Blood...rain of blood..." But the the blood on her hands disappeared. She was breathing hard and was sweating from the shock. "Why...what is coming? Such terrible things to come."  
  
A few hours later, the rain stopped. Allen was somewhere in the temple and looks at the foggy scape outside. Then he notices Chid walking down the hall. Chid stopped and the two look at each other. Then, Chid walks pass Allen.  
  
Meanwhile, at the cliffs surrounding the temple, Zaibach troops were in place. Then, elsewhere, Hitomi senses something in the air and looks out.  
  
"What is it Hitomi?" Milerna asked  
  
"It has begun..." Hitomi looks outside and sees an image of the future. A truth that no one should face.  
  
Outside, Jayson's forces readies themselves. The Duke, Allen, Van, and the rest stands ready. The battle was about to begin. Dusty winds scraped the land. Every soldier were firm in their resolve. No one will back out of this.   
  
Jayson's had his guymelef troops equipped with large guymelef size guns. The soldiers had their weapons at their sides, waiting for Jayson to command them to take them up.   
  
"So it begins..." Duke Freid said  
  
Then, the Zaibach troops started to walk slowly down the crater, and then quicken their pace.   
  
"All gun troops ready! Ready weapons!" Jayson shouted and in unison, his troops picked up their guns and points them out at the enemy. They all cocked their rifles at once, making it sound like thunder claps.   
  
The Zaibach troops grew dangeriously closer. Then Jayson gave the order.  
  
"Open fire!" his troops manages to take out the advancing troops, but more took their place.   
  
As Zaibach's ground infantry grew close behind the Guymelef units, Duke Freid looks back.  
  
"Give them a volley." Duke Freid ordered his excutive officer.  
  
The excutive officer stands forward and shouts out to his troops on the ground.  
  
"Archers, release arrows!"   
  
The legion of Freid soldiers points their bows up and launched their sharp and accurate arrows into the air, and there they fell back onto the ground and score some hits on some unfortunite Zaibach soldiers.  
  
Back with Jayson, he sees that the enemy melefs were getting closer to his position.  
  
"Here they come!" Jayson had his sword draw and readies to strike. "Swords!"  
  
All of his troops dropped their long range guns and drew their swords in a swift unison motion that it sounded like the wind slicing through the battlefield.  
  
The first Alseidies that reaches Jayson got a taste of his blades and was skewered by Jayson's swords. Jayson tossed the thing aside like garbage and moved on.  
  
"Press on!" Jayson shouted as his troops moved forward against the tidal wave of troops that poured from the edges of the cliffs like a water fall. Jayson kills another melef and then looks at his comrade Legolas, "Legolas!"  
  
The elf turns to him while blocking another attack.  
  
"You ready to start counting!" Jayson shouted  
  
"Ha!" Legolas laughed a bit and chops the head of another melef, "That was 15!"  
  
"Heh! I'm not getting myself bested again by the likes of you!" Jayson turns his attention to another enemy and used his swords like sissors and cuts the Alsedies in half from the torso area.   
  
The battle presisted. From the Hyrule Fortress, Zelda watches from the bridge. She was told not to go out into battle this day from Jayson. She remembers what he said to her a few hours ago.  
  
Flashback  
  
Jayson and Zelda were again in each other's arms. Jayson looks into her bright blue eyes. He sees before him a timeless beauty that he can never get tire of.  
  
"So beautiful..." Jayson said in his head, "Do I really deserve such..."  
  
Zelda looks back at him. For a moment, there was silence in the room. Then, Jayson broke the calm releaving silence.  
  
"Zelda...the battle will begin soon."  
  
"Yes...I will join you on the battlefield, my love-" but Jayson stopped her from saying anymore  
  
"-No...you will stay here..."  
  
"But...I want to fight besides you."  
  
"It would give me too much pain to see you hurt in the face of battle such as this...look, this is not going to be the battles that we had fought before....please... Stay safe..."  
  
"Jayson..."  
  
"I care for you too much to see you fight along side me and face death."  
  
"Jayson, I-"  
  
"I promised that I'll come back to you alive...now I want you to promise me...stay out of this battle..."  
  
Zelda went silence for a moment. Then she looked back up at him.  
  
"Alright...But you must remember that you promised me as well..." She looked straight into Jayson's eyes.   
  
The two shared one final kiss and the flashback ends.  
  
End of Flashback  
  
Zelda looks out again. She sees the battle ensuing as each second passes.   
  
"Princess," an officer calls to her, but she was a bit spaced out, "Our fighters are ready. Should I give the order to launch and defend the ground troops?"  
  
"Hm? Yes, launch all units." Zelda looks ahead and sees the airfields of the huge fortress.   
  
Dozens of fighters launched out of the airstrips and flew toward the face of battle.  
  
As one of the fighters flies near the largest of the fortress, somthing was not right.  
  
"That's odd," the wing commander, "This is delta lead to HQ, I'm not reading enemy activity at any of the fortresses."  
  
Another fighter swung by next to the commander,  
  
"Did they committed all their troops into the ground battle?" a wingmate asked  
  
"No...they know that it would leave us with air superority. Something is amiss, and I don't like the feeling of this." The wing commander ponders a bit more, but, "Let's not wait and see what they got instore for us. Let's do our runs and report back to base."  
  
The commander recieved a shours of replies and acknowlegments and the groups flew toward the fortresses. Bombing runs were made without attacks from guymelef escorts. A few of the fortress were taken down with ease, crashing into mountains and valleys.  
  
The final attack was at a fortress that was one of the largest. It was more metalic than the rest. But the fighters ignored any strange details about it and proceed with the attack.  
  
"Sir, I'm detecting something strange ahead...and energy build up from the fortress that we are going to attack."  
  
Then, suddenly the fortress that they were going to attack started to change. The lower sections of the fortress was all metal. There was some sort of large door that opened up. Then it seemed to glow with life and out of it came a large cloumn of light accompany by a rather large fire ball, which engulf the fighter group attacking it and finally impactted on one of the battleships, sending it spinning out of control.   
  
"Your highness!" a soldier called to Zelda's attention and she looks out at the new device that Zaibach had brought to bear.  
  
"Some kind of coherant plasma weapon. I smell another work of tinkering with the power of energist." Zelda looks ahead and sees the weapon fire again, destroying another ship. "Perhaps the Zaibach empire is not as backward as we we told..."  
  
"Ma'am, our ships can't repel such a weapon. We need to rethink our plans!"  
  
"We can't retreat and there is nowhere to run...we are trapped."  
  
The weapon the shot at the battlefield and created a large blast at the center of the battle, killing enemy and allies alike in the inferno. Jayson's guymelef was sent flying and hit a rocky wall. He got back up and realized tha this melef's leg is damaged.   
  
As Jayson gets out of his suit, Zaibach soldiers advanced toward him. He quickly took out his gun and shoots them. After a few shots, he ran out and drew his sword. he jumped down and fought along side the ground infantry.  
  
He was fighting enemies left and right, and it didn't seem to be that he'll be relieved anytime soon. Then he went back to back with another soldier. This one was a bit taller than he was, He turned around and readies his sword if it was an enemy, and was surprised that it was Ganondorf.  
  
"What happened you you?!" Jayson shouted  
  
"I trashed my melef! Ram it into some Alsedies just for the hell of it." Ganon shouted back and blocks another blow.  
  
"Well, let's clean up the mess shall we?" Jayson shouted  
  
"Yes, we shall!" Ganondorf charged forward, leaving Jayson alone again to himself.   
  
Elsewhere on the battlefield, Freid and Hyrule soldiers were alike in battle as they fought against the Zaibach forces.  
  
"Here they come!" a soldier shouted  
  
Escaflowne and Scherezade fights side by side. Van takes out several guymelefs with a single swip of his long sword. Allen chops off another's arm and knocks him down. There was too many troops.  
  
"They've broken through the second line!" Allen shouted  
  
Duke Freid was using a guymelef size bow and shoots arrows at the Zaibach melefs, landing accurate shots.  
  
"Damn you Zaibach!" Duke Freid shouted.  
  
Dilandou was getting dangerously close to the Duke and plows through everything in his path.  
  
"Out of my way!" Dilandou shouted and knocks down another melef with relative ease. "Duke Freid!"  
  
Dilandou screams for blood and charges at the Duke. One of the Duke's guards attacks, but was killed easily but Dilandou's claws.  
  
"No one gets in my way..." Then Duke Freid attacks, using his bow as a club weapon, but Dilandau blocks it with his left and stabs the Duke's Guymelef with his right. He chops off the Guymelef's arm. "I'm not done yet!"  
  
Dilandou stabs the Duke's other arm and destroyed it as well. A Hyrule Guymelef charges Dilandau but Dilandau impales him with a Chlima Claw.  
  
"You bastard!" Duke Freid shouted. Then, Dilandou destroys the Duke's guymelef's face plate, exposing the Duke's head out in the open. "Your head is mine!!"  
  
Dilandou strikes at the Duke, but shoves his sword in the way to block.  
  
"Not you again Allen!" Dilandou shouted with disappointment.  
  
"Sire, leave it to me for now, and withdraw." Allen attempts to block, but Scherazade's left arm got obliverated by Dilandou's liquid metal attack. He blocks Dilandau's next swing. The Duke watches.  
  
A soldier goes up to the Duke and pleads for him to retreat.  
  
"Sire, please withdraw to the temple for now. It is too dangerous for you to be out in the open like this!" But the duke did not listen  
  
"I've figured it out. God wishes for the resurrection of the power of Atlantis...and wants the people of Gaea to endure these ideals. If so, I'll give it to them. I'll give the power to Zaibach. However, the power of Atlantis is the power of people. Though Atlantis was ruined because of this power...Gaiea won't necessarily suffer the same fate. We will create our own fate. Our children will lead us to a bright future. Kaja, I'll leave it to the future generation...and die along with the old ways. Take care of Chid. It'll be hard, but he'll get over it...because he's my son."  
  
As Allen fights Dilandou, he blocks another attack, but another Alseidies took advantage of it and destroyed Allen's remaining arm. Dilandau swings at him, but suddenly Van appears in Escaflowne to block the attack.  
  
"Hurry! Go protect the duke from harm Allen! I'll finish things here!" Van pushed Dilandou back. Escaflowne pushes Dilandau back even more, then Van sensing another one, swings his sword, chopping the arm off an attacking Melef. However, while battling the two Guymelefs one of them shoots at Escaflowne's side, which results in Van screaming in terror from an unknown pain.  
  
Allen gets out of his ruined Guymelef and notices Duke Freid, standing out in an empty part of the battlefield.  
  
"Duke Freid!" Allen shouted  
  
The Duke holds his sword up.  
  
"I'm Mahad Nal Freid! If you want a great achievement, then face me! I'm the Duke of Freid!"   
  
"Duke Freid!" but Allen was too late. From about a cliff, a lone soldier take aim and points his bow at Freid. He ordered that only he would deliever the fianl blow.  
  
This soldier was the same one from before. he was masked and was not named. He aimed his arrow and released, hitting the duke in the heart. As the duke falls back, he thinks of Marlene's last moments alive.  
  
"Your Majesty, you forgave me. I wanted to stay with you longer...because I've fallen in love with you."  
  
"Marlene..." the duke manages to say to himself with his last breath and dies on the spot.  
  
"Duke!" Allen tries to run to see if he can help, be was restrained by a soldier.  
  
"Please hold sir Allen."  
  
"What're you doing? Let go of me!"  
  
"Our battle's over. That was His Majesty's decision. Please understand."  
  
Back with Jayson he recieves a runs toward a downed Hyrule melef and listens into the comm. He then hears Zelda's voice.  
  
"All units retreat at once. The Duke has been killed. We are retreating behind the lines. All units back down at once. We will not surrender. We shall fight another day!"  
  
Jayson ran out and looks for Ganon. He then spots him at the topf of a cliff.  
  
"Ganon! Retreat, now!" Jayson shouted, Ganon looks at him and nods, then shouts out to his forces. But as he turned around he let his guard down too soon and was unable to dodge the following attacks on him.   
  
A sword came and stabbed him in the torso. He killed the one that attacked him, and pulled out the sword that impaled him, but he was bleeding heavily. Then he turned again and was hit by an axe from the next.  
  
"Ganondorf!" Jayson shouted as he ran to help. Time seemed to slow down as he ran through the troops around him, knocking down enemies and allies at once. He reached Ganon and caught him as he fell off the cliff.   
  
Ganon looks back at Jayson and laughs a bit.  
  
"How intresting that I should fall like this..." He moves his hand and placed it ontop of Jayson's, "Take care my friend..."   
  
Jayson felt a new surge of energy enter him and looks at his hand. Ganon had given up his piece of the Triforce and passed it onto Jayson. Jayson closes Ganon's dead eyes. He looked his hand and clenched it into a fist. He picked up his sword and fought on as he retreats.   
  
At the Hyrule fortress, it was the only thing that withstood against the brutal attacks of the enemy's new weapon.  
  
"Pull back the fortress behind the mountains!" Zelda commanded, "Use the mountains as cover!"  
  
The fortress pulled away and the skies were soon covered with Zaibach fortresses.  
  
Back with Van, he continues to fight. Escaflowne didn't escape damage though, but mostly were minor scratches on the outer hull. But it almost seemed like Van was getting hurt every time Escaflowne was damaged. Then, he stood there on the battlefield. Steam came from within the melef. Dilandou backs away in fear.  
  
"What the hell is he?" Dilandou said, "Is is a demon?"  
  
"Dilandau, have the Dragon Slayers withdraw. Duke Freid is dead, and this battle will soon be over. Your job can wait"  
  
"Damn it...I'll have my fun later then." Dilandou disappeared.  
  
At the Vione.  
  
"The Dragon Slayers are withdrawing." a soldier said to Folken  
  
"Good. Send a message to General Adelphos. In the name of Dornkirk, we'll talk about a peace agreement. Chief of Staff Folken, has all authority."  
  
At the temple the fighting had stopped, and all of Hyrule's troops had retreated. Inside, Chid talks to everyone.  
  
"Good work, Kaja," Chid said to a soldier, "I'll surely carry out Father's will."  
  
"Prince, we can still fight, as can our Commander!" Gadess said, "Jayson is coming back with reinforcements!"  
  
"Thank you, Gadess. I'll never forget your friendship. But this was Father's dying wish. I'll endure this hardship, and rebuild Freid."  
  
"Prince Chid..." Hitomi said and the prince looked at her with a smile  
  
"You told me that any wish'll come true...I won't cry anymore. I promised Father. I'm the Duke of Freid." But even so, he was not able to hold back one tear from an eye.  
  
not that far off from the temple site, Hyrule Fortress was anchor and was waiting. Zelda looks around and sees that everything was prep.  
  
"Is the reinforcements from home enough?" Zelda asked Legolas  
  
"More than enough to match the Zaibach army...but we don't want to involve Freid any longer...we must get them to come to us." Legolas looks at Jayson.  
  
"So all we need is a catylist...something that'll draw their attention." Jayson smiled. "Well I got an idea...it's a bit crazy, but it's bold."  
  
"Well let's hear it." Jayson leads them away from the viewscreen, "Come on, don't leave us hanging."  
  
Jayson lead the to the tactical table, and starts talking about his plan.  
  
An hour later, Folken himself came down to greet Chid. Chid stands with his men outside the fortress. Folken kneels in due respect.  
  
"I do gve respect for your valior Price Chid. Because of you, this sneseless battle had stopped."  
  
"Sir Folken, you'll keep your promise, won't you?" Chid wanted to protect his friends that were about to flee.  
  
"If Freid shows us proof of friendship...we won't interfere with the ship, Crusade, until it leaves Freid. Now, present us with the proof of our friendship."  
  
Chid takes the large sword that was held by Duke Freid, and raised it into the air.  
  
"The Duke of Freid, Chid Zaal Freid...gives our legendary treasure, the Sealing Sword, to Zaibach!"  
  
Folken was about to take the sword, but then a streak of white sped pass him and grabbed the sword. Everyone looked up and saw to their amazement a draconian. It was Jayson. He hovers in one spot and holds the great sword in one hand.  
  
"You want the power of Atlantis Zaibach!" Jayson points the sword at them, "You'll have to pry it from my cold, dead Atlantian hands!  
  
Jayson flew off into the distant. The Enterprize was waiting for him and launched. Jayson puts on a shirt and stands at the bridge.  
  
"Nice show." Kyle said,  
  
"Yeah, I think I made him mad." Jayson smiled.  
  
On the Crusade, Escaflowne was sitting still in the hanger. But it started to move. Van turned it around and looks back, seeing the Enterprize catching up.  
  
"Jayson..." Escaflowne falls down to a knee and Van was bleeding all over the place.He was bleeding so much that blood was dripping out of the cockpit and the hands.  
  
"Lord Van, please answer me!" Merle shouted, but he won't answer, "Lord Van!"  
  
In his head, Van hears Jayson's voice again.  
  
"Van...I'm going to face our enemy. Take care Van..."  
  
At the ship Enterprize, they were reaching another mountain range. The Crusade was in front of it. The Enterprize slows down a bit.  
  
"Alright. You guys ready!" Jayson shouted to his men as they ready to jump off with their melefs. Jayson looks back at the Crusade, "Helm, take us about. Turn us around now!"  
  
The Enterprize made a turn and was now facing the opposite direction, where the many Zaibach troops were charging at them. Jayson and his men lands on the ground. There were only just the 9 of them on the battlefield.   
  
"Zelda, are you in position?"   
  
"Yes, all forces are ready."  
  
"Don't come out yet. Let them get closer." Jayson held in his melef's hand the seal sword of Freid. He stabs in on the ground. "My God have mercy on us..."  
  
The Zaibach troops approaches. Jayson's friends stands side by side to him. The wind blew across the dust filled valley, causing the entire fielf of vision to be covered with sand an dirty. When the dust settled, the other side of the valley was filled with Zaibach troops. What troops remained out in the opened with Jayson were dwarfed by the army of Zaibach, but Jayson and his men stand firm, unshaken. The Zaibach units charged forward nonstop, until they would crash into anything that would be able to stop thir advance.  
  
"So what do we do?" Darson asked  
  
"Well, we could wait..." Viktor said  
  
"Or we could do a charge, but that'll be a bit too bold." Rayner said  
  
"Oh can we please do something, This eternal waiting is making me want to wet myself," Lance said  
  
"Come on Guys, let's face them in a charge so that it will prove that we are not afraid of death!" Marcus shouted and charged forward. Kyle looked at Jayson, who looks back.  
  
"Meh, When in Rome, do what they do." Jayson charged. "Long live the fighters!"  
  
The group screamed as they ran forward. But before they even were able to touch the Zaibach advancing troops, incoming fire flew from behind them and impacted on the Zaibach troops, destroying many in an instant. Those that weren't killed, will soon be.  
  
"They fell into our trap!" Jayson shouted as he raised his swords, "Victory was ours from the moment they entered this valley!"  
  
From behind the mountain ranges, Hyrule fortress lifted off and from behindit was several dozen other fortresses, and countless battleships. All launching out their melefs and fighters as well as their own array of rockets and canon fire.  
  
Zelda stands on within her guymelef on the flight deck of the Hyrule Flagship Concordia.  
  
"All forces attack. Show them the true might of the Hyrule army!" She takes off with a full compliment of fighters and melefs by her side.   
  
The battle was quickly swinging toward one side. Zaibach's forces was not fully recovered from the previous battle and Hyrule had fresh troops to commit into battle. But it looked like it was going to change when the Zaibach special weapon was going to fire again.  
  
"They're going to use their new weapon on us again!" One of the soldiers shouted.   
  
Jayson looked at the fortress and then blasted off toward it.   
  
"I'm going to put an end to this right here!" Jayson shouted as he flew on full burn, racing as fast as his melef can take him. Alseidies tried to get in his way, but was plowed through.  
  
From not too far, Hitomi watches from the Crusade, and sees Jayson fly toward the one fortress so boldly. She sees another vision that again frightens her.  
  
In it she sees the same event taking place around her but she was no longer on ground. But she was in Space. A battle in outer space was insuing around her. Behind her was Earth and in front of her was the moon. She saw something, a large mecha that was black, with dragon wings to its back carrying a sword.  
  
"Is that...Escaflowne?" There was something flying from behind this Escaflowne look alike. It was pure white and flapped white angel wings and carried a bright glowing sword.  
  
She sees reality again and Jayson flying to the fortress, but also blending back into her vison again. She sees the black mech also flying toward a large floating structure in space. it was a space fortress. At the center of this fortress, it was charging up some kind of high tech weapon. But her vision was blurred with everything else except the two mechs she saw.  
  
Jayson was really close to the fortress and so was the white mech in her vision. Jayson's sword began to glow from an unknown power. Most likely from his energist. He flew up to the bridge of the fortress. The white mech in her vision did the same.  
  
"This is not needed in Gaiea!" Jayson shouted at the top of his lungs and slams his sword down onto the fortress, drawing a line straight down from top to bottom. The mech in Hitomi's vision did the same. Jayson craved a line of line and line on the fortress and when he was done, he pulls out and flew away. The fortress began to explode from overload.  
  
Everyone on the battlefield were stunned by this action.   
  
"By the gods..." Legolas said to himself.  
  
The fortress exploded in a titanic blast, sending rocks and metal flying all over the place. The Hyrule troops were winning. Then the Zaibach troops were turning back.  
  
"They're reatreating!" Kyle shouted   
  
The Zaibach troops withdrew to their carriers. Then the carriers themselves began to leave. The field was a bit quiet for a moment. Then Jayson looked around.  
  
"Gentleman...victory is ours."   
  
His troops cheered, raising their fists in the air. A few moments later, Jayson presents the Seal sword of Fried back to its rightful owner. Jayson kneels before Chid.  
  
"I believe this belongs to you, Duke Freid." Jayson's holds out the sword. But Chid refuses it adn gives it back.  
  
"Take it...you shall protect the secret of Atlantis. You are one of the last of your kind. You should protect your bloodline's legacy."  
  
"There is one thing that I must do..." Jayson takes the sword. "The seal must be open again...we cannot escape the inevitible. We must free the powers of Atlantis. We can't avoid the future...That is what your father wanted. He wanted Gaiea to face the trial that Atlantis had fail. And we must lead the way toward a better future."  
  
"Very well then. Father wanted that, too." Chid leads the way to the inner temple.  
  
Back at the fleeing Crusade, the crew went to Escaflowne, whcih didn't move.  
  
"What's the matter?" Allen shouted  
  
"Van hasn't come out of his Guymelef since he brought it in!" Hitomi shouted  
  
"What?" They looked at Escflowne. It was damaged pretty badly.  
  
To be continued... 


	11. Chapter X

Escaflowne  
  
Merle was crying out for Van, but he won't answer.Escaflowne stood still. Blood drips out of it Then, everyone else rushes in. This was taking place before Jayson's forces came and ambush the Zaibach troops.  
  
"There's blood coming from the control chamber." Allen said, worried extremely.  
  
Hitomi goes to to the cockpit and shouts out, hoping to wake him.  
  
"Van...Van, hang on! Can you hear me?" But Van didn't answer her, "Van, wake up! Van!"  
  
Then, Van started to stir and the cockpit ejects him into Hitomi, who caught him.  
  
"Van..." Hitomi brought him down.  
  
"Call Princes Millerna!" Allen ordered Reeden.  
  
"Okay." Reedan runs out.  
  
"That's odd..." Allen looks at Escaflowne, "Only the outer armor was damaged. How was he injured so severely?"  
  
Van stands up. He turns around and sees Jayson in the middle of the battlefield. Then, he sees the Zaibach melefs and infantry ran over the hills out from Fortuna temple.  
  
"Jayson..." Van stands up more and tries to walk.  
  
"Van don't try to move!" Hitomi tries to stop him, but he continues to get up, then he walks toward the edge of the platform, looking out at Temple Fortuna in the distant.  
  
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Jayson looks back a bit and sees the Crusade fly away. For a moment, Jayson seemed to think that he might no make it in the battle.  
  
"Van, Hitomi...take care of yourselves..." Jayson said out and then looks back at the advancing Zaibach troops.  
  
"I...I can still fight..." Van tries to bring out his wings. "I must...I must help Jayson!"  
  
"Van stop! Don't!" Hitomi shouted, but Van didn't listen and brings out his wings with all their glory.  
  
"W...wings...he has wings?" Millerna said in shock.  
  
"He's a draconian..." Allen said  
  
Then, Van's wings disappear and he collapse on the floor.  
  
"Van!" Hitomi picks him up.  
  
Dangerious Wounds  
  
Van was on a table, all patched up like mummy, but still he continued to bleed furiously. His wounds won't give out of blood. If this keeps up, he'll die of blood loss. He was tossing and turning   
  
"I can't believe the King is Draconian," a crewmember named Ort said to the others and they begun to chat amongst themselves.  
  
Allen had his hand in his face. He was all stressed out. Allen's gloved hands were stained with blood from Van, but he didn't care. He was too warped out to care about some blood on his face.  
  
"The power of Atlantis and now a draconian...Why do so many things that make me remember him keep happening?"   
  
Millerna checks Van's pulse and gave off a confused face.  
  
"His pulse is unstable. At this rate, he'll die."   
  
"No!" Hitomi shouted  
  
"You're a doctor, aren't you?! Do something!" Merle shouted at her,  
  
"Don't say such nonsense! His injuries are unusual. From inside...it seems as though these wounds are cut from inside his body. There's no way to heal these wounds. The control chamber of Escaflowne is intact, isn't it?"  
  
Then, it hit Hitomi like a rock, she got up and ran to the hanger. When she arrived at the hanger and looks at Escaflowne, she sees the same damages on it and rememebers the ones on Van. They were the same.  
  
"The same as Van..." Then Allen runs in the hanger. She remembers Van doing something before a few hours ago at the temple.  
  
"Hitomi...What's wrong?"  
  
"Van's feeling its pain...Van's merged himself with Escaflowne. Unless we repair Escaflowne at this rate Van will die!"  
  
"This can't be..." Then Gaddess walks in.  
  
"Hey boss...An Asturian trade fleet is approaching."  
  
From not too far away, a huge fleet of trade ships runs along the path with the Crusade. The flagship of the fleet, flies at the center of the group.  
  
Inside the flagship, a man with long brown hair sits next to a medium size pool, that was more like an aquarium. The young man lies down and then something was moving in the waters, something big. Then, a woman pops out of the waters and swims next to the man. It was revealed that, this woman was a mermaid. The young man looks at the mermaid and kisses it.   
  
"We are getting close to your home at the sea. Don't get caught again, Silfiel,"  
  
Silfiel hugs him.  
  
"I thank you from the bottom of my heart, Dryden. I'll miss you very much." Silfiel gives him a sad face.  
  
"What a face you're making. The ocean is where mermaids belong, and they should be smiling. Don't get captured again. If you're captured, tell them you're acquainted with Dryden of Asturia."  
  
A few minutes later, Dryden walks down stairs, where his assistant greets him.  
  
"Young master, you spent such a price on that mermaid, and now you are going to throw it back into the sea. I'll be yelled at by the old master."  
  
"Don't be so stingy. Beautiful things belong in nature."  
  
Dryden puts his sunglasses on and looks out the window to see a smaller ship docked with his, and around his ship were new vessels, all military bearing the mark of Hyrule.  
  
"Hey, that's the Crusade that's docked with us right?" Dryden asked  
  
"Yes, sir. They asked to see you at once,"  
  
Then, a voice from behind called out to him.  
  
"You must be Dryden." Millerna said  
  
Dryden turns around and was intrigued by who he was looking at.  
  
"And who might you be?" Then, he stops and thinks for a moment and then narrowed his eyes at Millerna, then realizes whoi she was. "Ah...Millerna right? It's been so long since the last time I saw you."  
  
Back at the Crusade, Hitomi and Allen talks about Dryden.  
  
"He's Millerna's fiancé?" Hitomi asked, "But isn't he also-"  
  
"Yes...he's the son of the man that tried to kidnap you back in Asturia."  
  
"But can we trust him?"  
  
"I'm not sure...but his extended knowledge might be Van's only chance."  
  
In Dryden's flagship, in his study.  
  
"Do you like my study?" Dryden said to Millerna and gives her a cup of tea, "Here you go."  
  
"Thank you,"  
  
Dryden takes another hard look at her.  
  
"My heart's pounding. Honestly speaking, I thought you were a shrew just five years ago, but you've become such a beautiful princess." Dryden takes Millerna's hand and kisses the back of it, but she takes it back right away.  
  
"Hm, you've become very handsome yourself."  
  
"You think so?"  
  
"I don't lie."  
  
Dryden grabs her hand, again.  
  
"Then, let's go home and hold our wedding ceremony right away!"  
  
"Uh, now? That's so sudden."  
  
"So sudden? We're betrothel. Hey look at me." Dryden takes a step back, "I'm a wealty man whose business is booming! My intellect is second to none!"  
  
Then, he takes a step closer to Millerna.  
  
"And I'm not bad in the looks department, if I don't say so myself. Is there a problem with that?"  
  
"D...Dryden...I..." Then, Dryden takes aback.  
  
"Sorry, sorry. You have to prepare yourself, right? Well, they say 'haste makes waste'. But I doubt you didn't come to talk about such things, did you? So let's get down to business."  
  
Back at Fortuna temple, Jayson and Folken meets within the temple. Behind Jayson was his gun troops, all ready to open fire if Folken does anything funny. Jayson was carrying the Seal sword at his side.  
  
"Folken..." Jayson starts to say, "I'll hand over the power of Atlantis to Zaibach under the following conditions..."  
  
Folken stares at Jayson with dead blank eyes, and Jayson stares back the same.  
  
"If I hand over this sacred seal, you have to agree to withdraw all of Zaibach's forces from Fried, never attack Fried again, and to not make anymore aggression toward us...If these demands are met, we will gladly hand this power over to you..."  
  
Folken and the four generals of Zaibach looks to each other and then back at Jayson.  
  
"Agree," General Adelphos said, "We will withdraw our forces from here and Asturia."  
  
"Then we are in agreement." Jayson turns to Chid, "Duke Chid...take us to it..."  
  
Chid accepts the sword again and leads away. Then, a soldier walks up to Folken and whispers into his ears.   
  
"How dare you Dilandou..." Folken said to himself and this caused Jayson to turn and face him again.  
  
The rest followed Chid deeper into the temple, leaving Jayson and Folken alone. It was disturbing quiet between the two for a moment and then Folken spoke.  
  
"Dilandou has left to chase after Van..." Folken said, but Jayson gave no reaction,  
  
"Van was injuired in battle...He might not be able to face them." Jayson then starts to walk and was about to leave.  
  
"Jayson?"  
  
"Van is our younger brother, we must do our best to protect him..." Jayson walks out, "I'll leave everything here to you...when you are finish with your business...leave..."  
  
Jayson then gets inside his Guymelef and jets off. His comrades tried to catch up to his very fast melef.  
  
"Guys, stay here and make sure Zaibach leaves after they are done."  
  
"What are you doing Jayson!" Kyle shouted  
  
"I have other things to do, take care of here guys!"   
  
Jayson's melef sped pass the main fortress and many other ones. As he flies pass the flagship, he spots Zelda on the bridge and time seemed to stopped a bit. Then, it resumed again as he flew faster than sound.  
  
"I must reach him in time." Jayson closes his eyes and openes his heart. He sees the path that the Crusade took and flew in that direction.  
  
In the Crusade, a few hours later. Dryden was amazed at the first time when he saw Escaflowne.  
  
"So that's an Ispano Guymelef!" Dryden was looking in and around the guymelef. "It's got so much damage on it! Those samurai are such...Let me see..."  
  
"So that's Dryden?" Hitomi asked Allen,  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
Hitomi looked at Millerna, who didn't appear to be too cheerful.  
  
"So...it seems that the legends are true..." Dryden said as he stepped down from Escaflowne.  
  
"What do you mean Lord Dryden?" Allen asked  
  
"Oh, none of that formality, just Dryden would do."  
  
"How long do you plan to waste our time..."  
  
"Hm, right...according to the ancient text, an Ispano guymelef assimilates its Lord unto death."  
  
"Unto death?" Hitomi said  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Then, another voice came out from behind the,  
  
"-He meant exactly as he said..." Jayson appears from the darkness.  
  
"Jayson?" Millerna said  
  
"How did you get here?" Hitomi asked  
  
"I flew, of course..." Jayson looked at Escaflowne, "The Ispano is a clan whose knowledge was learned from the people of Atlantis. The Guymelefs built by them choose their Lord through a blood pact. Until the Lord dies, it keeps fighting. Sometimes it does it by itself. When the Guymelef gets damaged and falls, the Lord of it falls as well."  
  
Hitomi remembers Van saying something about that.  
  
"Instead of just using Escaflowne, I decided to visualize it. Hitomi, I'll no longer..."  
  
"This is my fault..." Hitomi said, "I showed him how to,"  
  
Dryden then turned to them,  
  
"All you have to do is fix it." Dryden said in a frank tone  
  
"It's too damaged. We can't do such an extensive work on it." Allen said  
  
Dryden the looks around Escaflowne again.  
  
"Well, Ispano's Guymelef has a...thing for that kind of problem..." Dryden finds a switch in Escaflowne and pulls it. Green light pours out of Escaflowne's head.  
  
"What did you do?" Allen asked  
  
"I called them,"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"The Isapano clan that made Escaflowne," Jayson said  
  
Then, some sort of portal appears above the fleet of ships. Then, a very large ship comes out of it.  
  
"So, that's the legendary factory ship of Ispano." Dryden said  
  
Later, the Ispono were chanting over Escaflowne. Their tones were mono, as if one voice. The group watched them chant.  
  
"Is that...normal?" Hitomi asked  
  
"They are comfirming the authenticity of Escaflowne." Dryden explained  
  
Then, one of the short Ispono turned and walks to them. Then holds out his hand.  
  
"Fifty million." it said  
  
"Say what?" Allen said back  
  
"The repair cost of Escaflowne..."  
  
"That's practicly two thousand years worth our salaries combine," Gaddess said.  
  
"If you can't pay, we'll leave." The Ispono leader said  
  
"I'll pay then..." Dryden said, "You can have my fleet, all except my flagship."  
  
"But, sir. It took five years for us to make up that fleet. It is worth at least 80 million!" the short servant said, "Oh the master will not be happy."  
  
"Dryden, we can't pay back that much money." Millerna said  
  
"Come, come now...royality shouldn't be such money grubbers. Beside...I like that king."   
  
Jayson walks up to the Ispano.  
  
"I want to suggest some upgrades, then just repairs." Jayson said, "I have some suggestions."  
  
Later on, the Ispano repairs Escaflowne. While they do that, they also make additions to Escaflowne. Nearby in a sealed room, Van was on a table and screams in blinding pain. His comrades tried to hold him down.  
  
"Van, hang in there! Get rope!" Allen shouted, "Tie him down with some rope!"  
  
"Hang on Van!" Jayson shouted as he held Van down. Jayson prepares some kind of shot and injects Van with something.  
  
"He's feeling Escaflowne's pain." Dryden said "It's true after all. Don't worry. Once Escaflowne is repaired, his wounds will disappear. If he can survive such pain..."  
  
Hitomi and Merle looks at Van in horror. Then Hitomi gathered what's left of her courage and goes to Van, and holds his hand. Though was in such pain, Hitomi held on, hoping Van will take comfort with her presence. Van squished his hand, which was a bit painful to Hitomi, but she held on.  
  
"If anyone can do it, you can Van." Hitomi said, and Van held his hand tighter around Hitomi's, as in response to her. "You can do it Van."  
  
Back at Fortuna temple, Folken watches Chid place the seal sword inside a statue and the entire temple glows with life.  
  
"This is the power of Atlantis..." Folken said,   
  
A bright great light emerge from the temple and lands in Zaibach. Dornkirk sees what no one else sees. He sees a great future ahead.  
  
"Such a future I see before me on Gaiea..." Dornkirk said  
  
Back at the Ispano ship, Escaflowne's repair and refit was completed. Escaflowne looked a bit different from before. It was more glorious. It shines with its new white coat, that had some silver lining. There was also somethign else. Something was folded under the cape. The arm guards were changed, and had curved blades folded on them. On the sides of the hips were twin matching curved short scimitars.  
  
In the other room, Van's bandages were being taken off. It was more of a mircle. There were not even scars to show prove that he in battle.  
  
"Not a single wound is left," Gaddess said in shock.  
  
Then, Merle hugs Van.  
  
"Oh Lord Van! I'm glad! I'm so glad!"  
  
"I guess I scared you Merle."  
  
"Wow, I can't believe that he recovered." Dryden said   
  
Van got up and looks around, then smiles.  
  
"I owe it all to you guys, thank you."  
  
"You should be thanking Hitomi and Dryden." Allen said  
  
Van looks to the two,  
  
"Van, be careful with Escaflowne." Hitomi said, then she gave a worried face, "No, I don't think you should pilot it again. If Escaflowne gets damaged, the same thing will happen. If Escaflowne is destroyed, you'll..."  
  
"I won't allow anything to happen to Escaflowne."  
  
Then, the leader Ispano comes to them.  
  
"Fighters come to here...The Ispano will not get involve."  
  
"Alright Allen, Jayson, let's go."  
  
Then, the leader Ispano walks up to Van.  
  
"Blood pact..." Van remembers about that, "You used Draconian blood...Ispano makes no guarantees."  
  
"Makes no guarantees?" Hitomi said all worried again.  
  
Dilandou and his forces draws nearer to their positions.   
  
"Such a place they've escaped to," Dilandou said to himself.  
  
On the Crusade, Van tries to get inside Escaflowne. But Hitomi and Merle were stopping him.  
  
"Don't, Van! Let Allen, Jayson, and the others handle this battle!" Hitomi said as she holds Van back.  
  
"They can't beat them in those things. Jayson, let's go!"  
  
Jayson gets in his melef and readies to take off.  
  
"I can handle Escaflowne!" Van said as he gets in Escaflowne.  
  
"The people of Ispano said they couldn't make any guarantees! You mustn't pilot Escaflowne!"  
  
But Van ignores her and walks toward the door. Jayson jumps out first. The battle ground below was a barren wasteland. A perfect place for a fight to brew. Jayson's melef lands first and he looks around. Then, Van lands next to him. Jayson turns to Van.  
  
"Van, I'll let you handle these people."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You can take care of yourself. I'm not going to get in your way." Jayson then disappears as he cloaks. "No mercy Van...This is your revenge..."  
  
Van was now alone on the battlefield and he was soon surrounded by Alseidies of the dragon slayers. There were twenty in all.  
  
"Boys, the dragon hunt ends today," Dilandou said   
  
Van looks into himelf and calls upon all his inner strength,  
  
"I will win through this one...Escaflowne, Jayson, Balgus...father...give me strength..." Van said to himself. He imagines Escaflowne moving. He can feel more than just the physical changes of Escaflowne. He can feel the spirit of it.   
  
The field was silent, and the wind blows. Thunder and lighting sounded in the background. It was too quiet, then Dilandou gave the order.  
  
"Attack! Kill him!" The dragon slayers attacked.  
  
Multiple Guymelefs charge Van all at once. One of them shoots at Van, But Escaflowne deflects the attack, then charges toward them cuts through three Guymelefs with one swipe of his long sword. Another attack, but Van jumps up then slams his fist at another one, smashing its cockpit and crushing the pilot. It was spewing blood everywhere. Another Guymelef charges, but Van impales it right through the middle. He turns quickly and slams his sword down on the next Guymelef to approach him. One after another, a dragon slayer falls under the might of Escaflowne. Van then throws his long sword like a spear into another one, nailing it into a rock.   
  
Then, Van drew his two scimitar with one swift motion of his new arms. He twirls the blades around a bit, getting used to blades a lot lighter than his long sword. He then charged forward. He blocks another attack, then swung his blades around and stabs at another one behind him in the chest. He pulls out and swings both his scimitar and cut off the guy's head. He blocks another from behind, then spun around and hooks one of his scrimitar and impales it into another one. He then ran toward another pair and threw his swords at them, like throwing knives, impaling them both.   
  
"Damn, he's fast! Stealth cloaks everyone!" Dilandou ordered.  
  
Everyone except Dilandou goes into cloak mode and surrounds Van again. Van focuses with all his might and sees with eyes unclouded.  
  
"I see them...I can see them!" Van shouted and he popped out blades from his forarms and they seemed to almost glow from static electitricty. Thunder and lightning truck from the distant, but there wasn't rain.   
  
Van charges toward the rest and tore them apart. He stabs one in the chest with both blades and then pulls out. One of his arm blades spins around and points the other direction and he elbows one behind him in the torso.  
  
"That's for Duke Freid!" He pulls out of that one and uses the force of it to punch into the head of another one. "This is for Balgus!"  
  
One last one tired to attack, but Van ducks away from the attack and spears a hand into the guy, then lifting him up.  
  
Dilandou was watching in shock and fear from watching his men getting slaughter one after another. They were crying out his name as they fell under Van's blades.  
  
"What's going on?" Dilandou said, "What is this. What is with him?"  
  
Van then tears through the last one with his arm blade and ripped him into pieces.   
  
"Lord Dilandou!" Shester shouted as Van dirves his blade into his chest.   
  
The last remaining dragon slayer falls. Dilandou is all that's left. Van picks up his long sword and stands before Dilandou.  
  
"Gatti, Shester? Dallet?!" Dilandou calls out, but no one answered, they are all dead.  
  
Van's blades were covered with crimson stains from the red blood of the dragon slayers. His enitre weapon was coated with it, dripping wet with blood. His eyes were thristing for more. He hungers for more. The wind blows and his cape flaps around. Then, from under his cape unfolded dragon wings. They were fully spread and Van points his long sword up high, ready to strike.  
  
"What...what the hell is he!" Dilandou walks back, but he had no where to go.   
  
Jayson watches with interest,   
  
"He's gotten better...in fact, he's gotten so good, it's scary..." Jayson said to himself, "He is unstoppable now...Now there's a man that is worthy of the name Fanel. Worthy of piloting Escaflowne...but still...despite that...something's not right..."  
  
Dilandou stops and finds out he has no where to run.  
  
"Stay back!" Dilandou shouted in fear and shoots his claws at Van, but his nervous fear caused him to missed, but one of the claws scratched Van's face.  
  
"And this is for Fanelia..." Van takes up his sword and readies to charge, "Die Dilandou!"  
  
Van charges at Dilandou at full speed. Dilandau is scared to death already as Van charges him. However, the blood on Van's face drips all over the cockpit. Suddenly, the whole landscape is sprayed in blood. Van stops, as ghosts appear around him. The ghosts of the Dragonslayers are around Dilandau's Guymelef. Van finds himself outside of Escaflowne. Ghosts fly around him. They were all speaking to Van at once, causing him to go insane. All of them seem to be chanting in his head. Voices in his head.  
  
"Stop-"  
  
"I won't let you kill Lord Dilandau.-"  
  
"-Why don't you come with us?-"  
  
"-We owe Lord Dilandau-"  
  
"-He entrusted us with honorable guymelefs-"   
  
"-He gave me a guymelef-"  
  
"We won't let you kill him-"  
  
"Look what you have become-"  
  
"You're a monster-"  
  
"You're worst than us!"  
  
So many voices speaking at once. Van stopped dead in his tracks and helded his head. He was going insane from all of this.  
  
"Stay away! Stay away!" Van shouted as his loses himself, "AHHHHH!!!!!!"  
  
Van screams in terror. Escaflowne turns black and falls to the ground. Dilandau, scared to death, retreats. Meanwhile, everyone watches in horror from Dryden's ship.  
  
Jayson decloaks and runs up to Van.   
  
"Van..." Jayson said as everyone came up to him, "I didn't know that this would happen."  
  
The pitch black Escaflowne lays silent on the ground. Hitomi and the others run up to it. She screams out at him, but there was no response.  
  
"Van! Snap out of it, Van!" Hitomi slams her fist on the cockpit, but it won't do anything. 


	12. Chapter XI

Escaflowne  
  
The energist started to react, and then black smoke comes from Escaflowne. Hitomi goes up to the face mask and grabs it. Black smoke continues to rise out of Escaflowne, as if there was a fire inside. Hitomi slips her arms inside Escaflowne and seem to melt into it  
  
"Hitomi!" Allen shouted as he tried to get her out, but it was too late, her mind was already pulled into whatever Van was trapped in.  
  
Just as that happened, Escaflowne's energist stopped glowing and it went completely silent. Hitomi's body layed still outside.  
  
Chapter XI  
  
Lost Paradise  
  
Hitomi runs through a lot of fog and then sees an army of marching men that looked like they were dead more or less they were. She struggles to get pass them, trying to get to Van, who was in the middle of all of them.  
  
"Van! Van! Can you hear me!" Hitmoi shouted as she tries to make a grab for him, but when she touched him, she went through him and his image disappears, "Van!"  
  
Outside, Milierna checks on Hitomi, but her diognoisis was not good.  
  
"She's stop breathing..."  
  
Hitomi awakens in a place where winged people fly all around her. It is a peaceful, roman like landscape. It almost felt like-  
  
"No...this can't be heaven."  
  
"Well, we all like to think of heaven like this," someone else speaks behind her. "But this is just the generic style that we think of it as. Heaven's far more beautiful than this."  
  
She turns around to see a man dressed in a kimino with a katana at his side, but right next to that sword where a second japanese sword should have been, was a chinese looking straight sword. There was something familiar about this man. She looks to the weapon he was wearing and on the sheath was a symbol that she would not forget in her life.   
  
"A white rose?" It was her her family emblem. Something that was part of her family for centuries, but from all the stories she've heard from about her family, one ansestor has always amazed her and he carried a chinese sword with the family emblem on it, "You can't be?"  
  
"Yes, I am. Shinji Kanzaki is my name if you've forgotten. I would technical be over 100 by now. It's so nice to finally meet the destinied one."  
  
"Destinied one?"  
  
"That is why you are here...it is fate that lead you to this moment, but it was all you alone that was the cause of all this."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"There isn't a lot of time to reminisce about life and how things have changed in the era you live in...right now you are looking for someone, right?"  
  
"Yes. Do you know where Van is?"  
  
"...he's around here somewhere..."  
  
Hitomi stands on a nearby balcony as a winged person flies by. She looks over, a few hundred feet from her and sees a cliff, with a lone tree on it. Van sits below it. Hitomi starts to run, but Shinji stops him.  
  
"Wait." Shinji takes his chinese sword and throws it to Hitomi, who catches it clumsely "This is for you."  
  
"Ummm..."  
  
"What? Is something wrong with it?"  
  
"It's nothing like that...but is this really real?"  
  
"You tell me...I can't give you this-" he holds his katana, "Jason already has inhierted it. That sword you are holding belongs to your family. Take it as a symbol of who you are...and besides, you're stuck on Giaea. It's dangerous out here if you are not escorted by a man. This is not Earth."  
  
"But...but I don't even know how to use a sword. This is the first time I've ever even held one."  
  
"Oh really?" Shinji said as if she was joking, "You'll remember eventually. It's in your blood. You might not know it. All you have to do is just call upon it and you'll know how to use it."  
  
Shinji Kanzaki then disappears with a smile on his face.  
  
"See ya,"  
  
Hitomi didn't really understood what he just told her, but then runs through the city attempting to get to where Van was. She eventually reaches it. Van kneels, with his head lowered behind his knees.  
  
"Van, lets go home. Everyone's waiting." Van doesn't respond. He just continues to sit there, shaking nervously. "Van...?"  
  
There was then a sudden shaking from the ground and Hitomi lost her balance and fell forward. She managed to stop falling by using her new sword as a cane to support on.  
  
"What the...?" The ground around then starts to collapse and Hitomi goes to Van to wake him, "Van! Snap out of it, Van!"  
  
The cliff around then starts to crumble.  
  
Outside in reality again, everyone was really worried about the two.  
  
"We should try to at least recover Hitomi." Allen said  
  
"No!" Merle shouted and jumps on Hitomi, shaking her about, "Hey, you stupid girl! Don't give up! Make sure you bring Lord Van back with you! Hey, are you listening? Lord Van!"  
  
Inside the dream-vision, Hitomi hears Merle call,  
  
"Merle?"  
  
A pillar of light appears from the tree and surrounds Hitomi and Van. The entire cliff collapses and falls into the growing pool of lava. Van is unresponsive as he and Hitomi fall into it.  
  
"Van! Van, fly! Van!" Hitomi shouted as she fell with Van.  
  
As the tree collapses into the lava, Van's wings burst out of his back, and he grabs Hitomi. They fly up away from it. Back in the real world, Hitomi's hands slip off of Escaflowne. The energist glows and Escaflowne's normal color returns. Escaflowne's cockpit opens and Van slowly crawls out. Hitomi awakens with Merle on top of her. Then, something started to glow in her hand as she felt like she was holding onto something. The ligt from her hand grew into a long narow object and when the light faded away, it revealed to be the sword that Shinji gave her.  
  
"This is..." Hitomi looks at the sword.   
  
Meanwhile, Dilandou was in the Vione, holding a rose as he looked over a balcony.  
  
"They were all incompetents. Guimel, Dallet, Shester, Gatty, Violle...You won't be recognized if you die in battle like that." Dilandau flicks the rose he was holding over the edge of the fortress. He has a sudden vision of a girl crying.  
  
"Don't leave me alone! Don't leave me alone!" the girl in his head shouted out.  
  
"Alone?" Dilandou lost himself and collapes.  
  
In another room elsewhere, Folken talks to Dornkirk.  
  
"The power spot is in our hands...however..." Dornkirk said to Folken  
  
"About the dragon, right?"  
  
"Exactly. The fate of the dragon is covered in a mist, and is barely visible."  
  
"Leave it to me. I've already made the next move."  
  
"Capture the dragon!"  
  
Meanwhile, back with everyone else on Dryden's ship. Van holds up his sword. His hands shakes. He remembers the Dragonslayer's screams of death as if he was there again. Van collapses to his knee. He looks at his sword. Then, for a monet it looked like it was stained with blood again.  
  
"Why do I shake like this?...Am I starting to loose it?"  
  
Hitomi was watching from not too far away.  
  
"Oh Van..." Then, Allen approached her, "Allen. Jayson."  
  
"You don't have to worry about Van." Allen said,   
  
"But he's been like that since then."  
  
"It's an ordeal which swordsmen have to overcome. I had the same experience back then when I was younger. I was so young. Conceit and arrogance draw you into a mist of fear."  
  
Flashback  
  
Allen flashes back to an encounter in the woods from years before. Allen encountered a mysterious man in his youth as a rouge swordsman. He felt too proudly of his skills and picks fights with others to prove his supperiorness.  
  
"Is it you who's been picking fights with swordsmen recently?" the man asked Allen  
  
"If you're scared of fighting..." young Allen said, "...leave all your money and I'll spare your life."  
  
"You seem to have some background. What's your name?"  
  
"Allen Schezar. C'mon!"  
  
Allen charges at the mysterious man, but his slash was swipe clean and he lost his balance and fell to the ground.  
  
"You have good aptitude, but your conceited swordsplay will never shine."  
  
"Kill me!"  
  
The swordsman walked closer and the light revealed him to be Balgas.  
  
"Why? Are you in a hurry to die?"  
  
"I have no family or house. The sword is everything! I can't live in disgrace once I've lost!"  
  
"In swordplay, power and technique aren't important. The key lies within you. Train yourself."  
  
End of flashback  
  
"And that is how I met my master, Balgas." Allen continued, "He enlightened me when I was dissolute. Lording the sword means training oneself. But I haven't come close to my Lord, I..."  
  
Hitomi smiled a bit at the modesty and tries to reasure him  
  
"That's not true. You're brilliant, strong and compassionate. I don't really know anything about the sword, and he probably won't listen to me...but if it's you, he will. Because you're wonderful, and everyone trusts you. That's why I like you..." Hitomi realized that the last thing she said was a bit too much, "Please take of Van, won't you?"  
  
Hitomi turns away to walk and then breaks out in a run. Allen smiles a bit, catching a bit of the second thing she said to him.  
  
" 'Like,' huh? Sometimes I see a demon in you, Hitomi." Allen was about to walk out to Van and then he just realized something about Hitomi today that he never did before when he looked at her, "Did I just saw her wear what I think it was?"  
  
As Hitomi stops running and she then noticed some added weight on her lower side that is slowing her down. She then stops and felt her side and then it hit her that she had completely forgotten the sword that she tied onto her waist belt from earlier. It fitted her so well that she forgot that it was even there. She takes the sword from her belt and looks at it, admiring the designs on it. She then unsheaths a bit of it, revealing the blade that was mirror polished. Then, on her reflection on the sword she had another vision.   
  
The vision was quick and was flashing by her at a great speed before she can comprehend the images, but most of it contained a swordsman who used this sword before her time in the ages that required it. She recognized one of the places was China during WWII. She saw a man holding the katana that Jason, her cousin had, and was wielding it against Chinese soldiers. Then, she flashed back before that and saw a woman that looked like her and she was training with the sword that Hitomi was holding. Then, she flashed back again and saw Shinji, her ansestor, who lived back in a time of Japan where the way of the sword was dying. She saw him sitting with two children...his children. He gave his katana to the girl and the chinese sword to the boy.  
  
The katana would later fall into her cousin, Jason Chang, and now the other sword falls to her. As she finished the vision, she sheaths the sword quickly. She then walks away.  
  
Later, she found a training room, so she could be alone. She stands in the middle of the dojo with her sword to her side. She was wondering what she was doing here. She never had practice with a sword in her life. But when she picks up this sword, it almost felt like she had been a swordsman all her life. It felt different and she wanted to see if Shinji was right. She takes the scabbard with her left hand and takes the hilt of her sword with her right. Then, she slowly drew the blade, hearing every sound of the blade passing through the sheath as she pulls gentlely. The sword was light, double edged, and the hilt fits only a hand and a half, so the weapon was a one-handed one bascily. But she saw on the blade of the sword that there was a part of it near the hilt that was not an actual blade. The area starts from the crossguard and extends for about 3 inches. It was an area of the blade that was blunted, where she can fit her other hand on it so her weapon can be used with two hands instead of one. It was created so a person defending with the sword can apply more strength behind it when blocking.  
  
Hitomi takes the sword up to her face. The sword pointed up and a quarter of her face reflected on the blade. she twisted the blade to the side and points it forward with one hand. She then almost leaned forward and slashed downward, then upwards and then stabs forward again. The moves were precised and fast in a level that a beginner could not have possessed. She then slashes to the side and then to the other and pulls the sword back to her, blade pointed forward and her left hand behind the sword, pushing the bottom of it. She did some fencing moves for a bit and the jumps forward a bit, while swing the sword back toward her, and when she fell back down forward, she swung the sword back forward again.   
  
Hitomi smiled a bit, noting that maybe that it was her past obseverations on Jason, while he practices that made her aquired some of these skills, or perhaps that Shinji was right. But the moment she drew this sword, she had became a swordsman. Sensing a presence in the room from behind her, she quickly spun around 180-degrees and attack, but to only scare whoever was behind her, only to have her sword cross another blade.  
  
The blade she crossed was a katana, and she can plainly see the serpent dragon design that reflects off the blade. The user was Jayson. She pulls back a bit and bows her head to him.  
  
"Am I interrupting something?" Jayson asked.  
  
Hitomi blushed a bit, now feeling awkward that she was holding a sword.  
  
"No, uh...I was, uh...I was just." Then she saw Jayson's eyes change and he was not Jayson Fanel, but Jason Chang, her cousin.  
  
"It seems that it is time for you to have this." Jason said as he sheaths his blade. Hitomi did the same, "It was only a matter of time before it falls to you. Though usually nowadays, the male of the family takes the sword passed down from the last generation."  
  
"You knew about this sword?" Hitomi asked, but then answered her own question, "Of course you did. For your sword is the brother of this sword."  
  
"I see that you've unlocked some of the secrets of the family as you wielded it."  
  
"I was just seeing if I was able to use it. I've never held a sword before. How was I able to do all that?"  
  
"It comes from your blood, the blood of a warrior, be it male or female. I can't explain it, but I call it where the spirit of the pass generation is sealed in the soul of the next, and if the next generation is strong enough to unlock it, he or she will possess the abilities of the past."  
  
"I see..." Hitomi in fact was a bit more confused than before, but didn't want to say anything.  
  
"Well...shall be begin?" Jason puts a hand on his sword and slow draws it.  
  
"But..."  
  
"You have to believe..." Jason said as he drew the rest of the sword and points it down, "Now draw."  
  
Hitomi does so, but with some nervousness. This will be her first time fighting with her sword, and she was a bit scared. After she drew the blade she was sort of breathing heavily, but she closes her eyes and remembers the advices Jason gave her and what Shinji said to her.  
  
"Just believe in it..."She said to herself, "Call upon your heritage and it'll all come to you..."  
  
For a moment that felt like eternetity. Time stops around her as she tries to find that thing which she was looking from deep in her heart and soul. She awakens it and opens her eyes. Her heavy breathing pattern slowed to a relaxed pace and she stared back at Jason with determined eyes.  
  
"Now...attack me." Jason said, but he made not movement to go into a stance himself.  
  
Hitomi readies herself, turing to her right side and then bends her right knee back and stretched her left knee as well for a charge. Then pulls her sword back and had her left hand lead off the sword. The moment was tense and neither made a move for a few lond seconds and then Hitomi screamed her first battlecry and thrust forward in a speed that only a runner like herself can do, but the force of the thrust propelled her into the air and bit and she came down on Jason and stabs.   
  
Jason dodges the attack by sliding his entire body to his right the moment Hitomi came down. Since she missed, he attack stabs through the wooden ground of the dojo. She reacted quickly as Jason retaliates from the attack by slashing down on her, but she brought her sword back up and blocks. Then, the two both jumps back. Jason takes his sword with two hands and holds naturally in a formless stance. Hitomi takes up her sword with both hands, right on the hilt and left on the blade. She held her sword to her left side, pointing up.   
  
Then, Jason sheaths his sword and gets in what is called a Battou-justsu stance. His right hand at the ready to draw his sword, and his knees bent for a forward charge when he draws is. Hitomi was about to attack, but then right when she blinked, Jason appeared to have disappeared and reappears behind her in an instant, which was just her mind playing tricks on her for not being able to keep up with the speed of Jason that was almost god-like. She turned around to defend against an attack and the two crossed blades.  
  
Unknown to the two of them, Allen had been watching from the outside the whole time.  
  
"Don't know how to use sword, eh." he said repeating the words Hitomi said to him.  
  
Jason and Hitomi seperates again and Jason attacks again, spinning counter-clockwise to his left and slashes diagonally and then again in a tornado-like attack two times, and pulls back at Hitomi counters and fights back. She attacks with a slash straight down from above, but Jason blocks the attack, using his left hand to support his sword from the weigh of Hitomi's attack and then parries her sword to his left and then jumps up quickly and it seemed that he curled into a ball as he jumped into the air just right above her and summersaults forward, bring his sword around from behind him like a buzz-saw would and came down upon her, but was blocked. For a moment, it seemed that he was in the air for two long as he and he crossed blades and she turns around quickly, with Jason still coming down on her and pushes him off. He flips and lands a few feet in front of her. He held his sword again with both hands in a formless stance at the ready and so does she in the same manner.   
  
Hitomi sort of smiled at the "fun" she's having with this as a sweat falls from her forehead. She approaches Jason, bring her sword up over her head for another attack and then brings it down but was blocked again and then Jason rolls behind her. He then sheathes his sword for another Battou-justsu, but Hitomi felt something different in this one and responded by holding her sword in an odd stance if it was with her left hand around the crossguard of the sword. She was doing all this by memory and didn't even knew what she was trying to attempt.  
  
"This is...this stance is for..." Hitomi said to herself in her head as she tries to remember what kind of stance is the one she was using, and it slowly came to her. "This is called... Watoujutsu...Kofuku Zetousei..."  
  
"She is using that move..." Jason said to himself as he readies to himself, "...in response to my Amakakeru Ryu No Hirameki...if either of us makes one wrong move...it would mean death to either...or both even...She is more skilled that she thinks."  
  
The moment dragged on for too long as either waited for either to make a first move.  
  
Then, all this time, Allen from outside was watching with amazement and then coughs a bit, which signalled both to attack. The two came at each other in the manner of all swordsmanship. Fight as to kill the oppononent, even if practicing. The two attacks were so fast that Allen was not even able to see it almost. The attacks cancelled each other off. Jason was standing on one side one room, sword pointed up from the draw, and back to Hitomi. Hitomi was on the other side, back also facing him. The two stood down and turned to face each other.  
  
"...Good," Jason said, "And that was just your first try. Well done."  
  
Hitomi's eyes then returns to normal and she blushed at the comment,  
  
"It was harder than I thought."  
  
"You'll get used to it." then Jason laughs a bit, "Heh...God, I haven't had that much fun for a long time...I've never thought that you would become a worthy opponent for me."  
  
Jason let what he said sink in his head.   
  
"Hmmmm..." Jason wondered and it sent a tingling feeling down his spine, "Does that mean she can hold her own with Van and even...Allen? We ARE almost a match."  
  
"Is something wrong?" Hitomi asked seeing that his mind is elsewhere,  
  
"What? No."  
  
"I think you are wondering if I can match Van and Allen."  
  
"Well, you know me best."  
  
Hitomi sheaths her sword,  
  
"To be honest...I was a bit terrified that I can do all that. It just came to me so fast. Like...someone else was controlling my body."  
  
"Like I said, you'll get used to it." Jason then changes back to Jayson, "My. My, Hitomi you were absolutely amazing."  
  
"Uh, thank you."   
  
"I wouldn't expect anyone from Jason's family to do less with swords."  
  
"It's really nothing to be mentioned."  
  
"Well aren't you modest. I'll see you later. I've got to go talk to Van." but then, Jayson stops a bit, "Oh, I almost forgot."  
  
Jayson picks up a big wide box that was on ground.  
  
"This is for you. I think you needed a change of clothing since, you've been wearing the same thing since the last time I saw you."  
  
Hitomi opens the box and inside was a blue kimono. It was dark blue, and simple in design. There was also a hair ribbon next to it.  
  
"This is...how did you get something like this here?"  
  
"I've sort of 'borrowed' it from Zelda, when I found it among her wardrobe. I think it suits you. And I think this fits you better when you want to use your sword again. This female kimono was designed for beauty and for function."  
  
"Uh, thanks,"  
  
Jayson leaves the room. Just as Jayson left, Hitomi heard clapping from behind her and turned to see Allen.  
  
"Allen."  
  
"That was most impressive Hitomi. You keep all these secrets from everyone. I wonder what else you are not telling us."  
  
"Well, I..." Hitomi was a bit embarassed, "I didn't know I had it in me."  
  
Hitomi then noticed that Allen was holding something under his arms.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Oh this?" Allen takes the book, "It's something I brought for show to Dryden. I think it might help us."  
  
Elsewhere, Dryden and Millerna was in the library.  
  
"The mysterious power of Hitomi, who came from the Mystic Moon... Van, a descendant of the Dragon Clan...Escaflowne...And Zaibach, which is after the power spot... Mysterious incidents that take place one after another...It's so frustrating. Something's coming to my mind."  
  
"Dryden... thank you."  
  
"For what? I don't need your smooth words. It doesn't cost you a bit to bow."  
  
"Your way of saying... I had reconsidered about you, and I was going to apologize for my lack of manners."  
  
Dryden laughs a bit,  
  
"That's it. Thats more like you. My mind's full of dirty thoughts. I'll do anything to get your attention."  
  
"But... I..."  
  
"Allen? I don't care. I get everything I want. Well, it's alright. Instead...I want you to do me a favor."  
  
The two went to see Allen, who hands over the book that he was carrying.  
  
"It's my father's final log, from his study."  
  
"Oh, this is it!" Dryden said  
  
"Is that really useful?" Milerna ask  
  
"Sure it is. This might solve all the mysteries surrounding you."  
  
"Mysteries...?"  
  
"It's Atlantis."  
  
"Atlantis...?"  
  
"My father often told me your father was after the secret treasure of Atlantis. Let me borrow this for a while."  
  
Dryden then leaves.  
  
Meanwhile, Hitomi was leaning on a windowsill, with a sort of depressed look on her. She remembered that one line she said to Allen. "I like you". And it made her wonder about it. She had put on the kimono that Jason gave her earlier. It really did fit her perfectly. She felt more blend into her culture back on Earth when she put it on.  
  
"Geez, why did I say that? I'm like a fickle girl." She then picks up her sword again, "Now why can't I keep my hands off of this. I've only gotten this sword for barely a day and now I feel like it's been my best friend for like...forever."  
  
"-That's a really nice sword you got there, Hitomi," Milerna's voice said from behind Hitomi.  
  
Hitomi turns and blushed in embarrassment.  
  
"I never knew you were such a swordsman, heh, or rather a swords'woman'. From what Allen had told me from what he saw, you are truly a wonder. We've known you long enough, but you've seem to have more surprises waiting to show us."  
  
"Oh this?" Hitomi shows her sword to Milerna, who takes it to have a look at the blade and unsheathes it, "It's just a family heirlome."  
  
"Well, you've cretainly know how to use it." Milerna then puts the blade away and gives it back, "Hitomi..."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I want your opinion about my friend."  
  
"Sure. What is it?"  
  
"She...sort of has a boyfriend, but he's a bit of playboy, and she found out that he has a secret child."  
  
"That's not right." Hitomi showed a face of disgust.  
  
"Listen, I'm not finished."  
  
"Ok,"  
  
"But another guy, who seems to be rich and kind...came to her and said that he loved her...." Milerna sort of fades a bit after that,  
  
"And...what?"  
  
"What do you think she should do?"  
  
Hitmoi sort of smiles a bit...since it was too obvious that Milerna was talking about herself. Hitomi had had these kinds of conversations before with her older friends back on Earth...and a bit from the "Memories" of her ansestors from her sword. The wisdom from it made it more obvious that it would normally. But Hitomi sort of played along being the friend, but sort of made a little joke of it.  
  
"Well...What she should... If I found out I was hanging around with him when he'd had a child, I'd never talk to him."   
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Men like those in my world are looked down upon my the morally right. He sounds like he approaches any woman,"  
  
"But he's actually a wonderful person."  
  
"And the other guy isn't?" Hitomi was doing this on purpose to make Milerna think.  
  
"Looks are ok..."  
  
"And he has love and a financial background, doesn't he? Then, he's the right one. My world seemed to accept those with financial background more, but it's the same difference."  
  
"It sounds so calculating."  
  
"What about going steady with both, like him?"  
  
"How immoral!" Hitomi smiled at the thought of that.  
  
"What about giving up on both..." Then Hitomi jumps from where she was sitting and sort of dance like a ballerina with the back of her right hand over her forehead and does a sort of a dramatic scene, " ...and becoming a tragic heroine?"  
  
"No way! You talk as if you don't care about me-I mean my friend! What about the feelings she has?"  
  
"That's the point after all. In any case, it's natural to follow one's own feelings."  
  
"Own feelings..."  
  
"Should I read their fortunes? To find which one is most suitable for her. I'm usually right, if it's about someone else."  
  
"Are you stupid?!" Merle was listening the whole time and jumps out to intervene, "What's with that fortune telling bit? Before you read someone else's fortune, why don't you make up your own mind?"  
  
"My mind?!" Hitomi was confused a bit,  
  
"Which one do you love, Lord Van or Allen?"  
  
Milerna looked pretty shock from the question but Hitomi never looked more indecisive in her life.  
  
"Which one!?"  
  
"I...I dont know...What kind of a question is that?!" Hitomi then looks a bit upset, "You just jump right out and ask me that."  
  
Another one's source of the short temper she was having was coming from the sword and the memories of the souls inside her. She was starting to have a problem controlling it.  
  
"Who are you to ask me that?! It is my own problem. I don't need you to bring it out!"  
  
"Just make up your mind!" Merle shouted as she bends down.  
  
Merle jumps up to sort of do another mock attack on Hitomi, claws out, but Hitomi saw that coming 10x's faster than Milerna and right when Merle jumps up a bit, she was unable to do that actual pounce at Hitomi, because Hitomi drew her sword and points it to Merle's neck. Merle was stopped dead in her tracks. And for the first time, Merle had a look of fear for her life from Hitomi. Hitomi's eyes were a dark crimson that was almost not human.  
  
Hitomi finally snaps out of what seemed to be a trance and her eyes returned to normal. She withdrew her sword and realized what she was doing. She was panting.  
  
"Uh...I..." Hitomi puts her sword down and was still in shock at what she did. "I'm..."  
  
Then, Hitomi turns and runs out of the room. When she thought she was done, she stopped and leans on a wall around the corner. She breathes heavily from the running and still from the shock of pointing her sword at Merle...with that look on her face. She saw it reflected off of Merle's eyes and saw someone that was not her...but more like someone that was apart of her.  
  
Hitomi takes her sword, which was still out and looks at the blade and sees the red eyes on her face. She blinked a few times, and the eyes were blue again.  
  
"What...what just happened?" She asked herself.  
  
And from the shadows, where Hitomi was not able to notice for the moment in the state she was in, Jayson was watching.  
  
"She's starting to have trouble adjusting to her heirtage, already," Jason said to Jayson,   
  
"She'll manage," Jayson said to Jason. "She's a strong girl. I know she is."  
  
"No...you don't...I do...You just know what I know. But that knowledge doesn't belong to you."  
  
"Whatever...Should we help her?"  
  
"No...she must live with it. In time, she will able to control the gift she has."  
  
"And if not?"  
  
"Then...she is doomed..."  
  
Elsewhere, two cat-like women sat atop their Guymelefs, looking over Dryden's ship as it passes by. They looked like Merle, but a lot older. One was a "golden" color, and the other was a "silver" color.  
  
"Eriya, that's the one, isn't it?" the golden one said  
  
"How fortunate to find it in a place like this, isn't it Naria?" Eriya said  
  
"He said that was our kind of luck." Naria said  
  
"Let's give them a greeting, and make it a gift for Lord Folken."  
  
"Great idea!"  
  
The two jumped into their Guymelefs, and then jumps off the cliff they were on and down onto Dryden's ship. The two Guymelefs made a big impact when they landed on the moving ship.  
  
"I hope they don't bored us with their petty resistence." Naria said,  
  
"I hope so...cause I'm just itching for a fight!"  
  
Inside theship, Reeeden runs to tell Allen.  
  
"Hey boss, it's Zaibach! Zaibach's Guymelefs are..." but Gadess interrupts  
  
"What?"  
  
"They're after Van," Jayson said as he turns and runs toward the hanger.  
  
In the hanger, Van was getting on Escaflowne.  
  
"Lord Van!" Merle shouted   
  
"Van!" Hitomi shouted with, "You haven't fully recovered yet! Oh no, what should I do?"  
  
Jayson enters the hanger and tries to get on Excalibur, but a sharp pain came from his shoulder. There was an old wound on it, that wasn't fully healed.  
  
"Damn it." Jayson grabs it, "I must of strained it when I practiced with Hitomi."  
  
Jayson lost his balance and leaned on his melef for support. Hitomi runs to him.  
  
"Jason!"   
  
"I'm alright...heh, next time I spar with you, I'll have to look out for myself more...Shit, I can't help Van with this kind of wound on me."  
  
"Oh, no. You can't help Van! What can we do?" Jason looks back at Hitomi and smiles a bit, "What?"  
  
Escaflowne was already outside, battle ready. Van lands in humanoid mode and takes out his sword.  
  
"I won't lose like last time," Van said to himself.   
  
Van attacks, but was blocked by the speed of the Tearing model's agility. He was knocked back and fell a bit, before regaining his balance. As Van got his balance back up, Naria jumps at him and scratches his face, causing Van himself to bleed in the face. Then, Eriya knocks him to the ground. Van swings his sword at her, but she grabs his arms to stop him. It was then, when Van saw through the Melef and sees the pilot behind it.  
  
"A Woman? No...she's different!"  
  
"The Torso is opened!" Eruya shouted and punches Escaflowne's stomach, and hence punching Van in the gut.   
  
Van knocks her over and holds it's sword to her head, but Naria attacks him from behind. Van starts shaking again and thinks about the Dragonslayer's deaths again.  
  
"No...no, not now!" Van was losing it again.  
  
"What's wrong with him? Eriya asked  
  
"He seems to be scared. Dilandau was defeated by a guy like him?"  
  
"No wonder Lord Folken's worried. Let's finish it."  
  
But, when Naria was about to attack, Excalibur come from behind her and she was knocked away. Excalibur was a bit off balanced itself, which was a bit unusual for it. Jayson was always a smooth pilot.   
  
It was revealed that Hitomi was the pilot.   
  
"Geezzz," Hitomi said to herself, "I got to be more serious to him next time. No means no! Dear God, how did I end up doing this? First I know how to use a sword really well, and now I'm a Guymelef pilot?"  
  
Hitomi gets her bearing back and charges at Eryia and cuts through her claws.  
  
"You're hit was a bit imbalanced," Jayson's voice said to Hitomi's head,  
  
"I know! I know!" Hitomi was trying to concentrate, "Just let me do this by myself!"  
  
She attacks again and pushes the two cat girls back away from Van all the to the otherside of the ship.   
  
"Great, now this is getting anoying!" Naria said  
  
"Come on, we can take him!" Eriya said, thinking it was Jayson that was the pilot.  
  
Then all of a sudden, Merle runs in front of Escaflowne. Naria and Eriya look in shock. They flash back to when they were children. One of them protected the other from a crowd.  
  
"I won't let you..." Merle said, "I won't let you kill Lord Van!"  
  
"Merle?!" Van said as he snaps out of it,  
  
"Merle?" Hitomi said  
  
"Ah, great. She's ruining the mood!" Eriya said  
  
"She is, but she is one of us...that's enough for today!"  
  
The two then took off into the distant. Merle was a bit shocked at what she just did and fell to her knees. Van jumps out of his melef.  
  
"Merle!" Van shouted  
  
"Oh, Lord Van...Lord Van, I'm glad. I'm so glad you're safe... Lord Van!" Merle hugs him.  
  
"Merle..." Van then looked up t see Excalibur bends down to one knee as the cockpit opens up, "Jayson?"  
  
Van WAS expecting Jayson to come out, but he was shocked to see Hitomi.  
  
"Hitomi? Hitomi walks up to him, "You saved me yet again, Hitomi"  
  
"You seemed have the habit of getting yourself into situations where you need saving." Hitomi smiled.  
  
It was then, when Van noticed the new look Hitomi was showing him. Parts of her blue kimono sway with the wind and she was holding her sword with her left hand. For the first time, again, she looked beautiful to him, but in a sense the strange aura of mystery still shrouds around her when he looked down to see that she was holding a sword.  
  
Hitomi took noticed and takes up her sword,  
  
"Oh this? This was a gift from Jason."  
  
"I see. It suits you well."  
  
Later on, everyone was gathered at Dryden's study. Dryden was still reading the book Allen gave him and then laughs.  
  
"Ah! There it is! I found it. I found it! As I thought, all the mysteries lie in the Mystic Valley"  
  
"Mystic Valley?" Hitomi asked  
  
"It's the legendary place of the Dragon Clan, Draconians."  
  
Elsewhere on the Vione, Naria and Eriya was with Folken.  
  
"Did it go well?" Folken asked the two.  
  
"Yes. All training was completed smoothly." Naria responded  
  
"I see." Folken sort of smiled, "Good girls."  
  
"Who are those sorcerors who came with us?" Eriya asked  
  
"They came here to take Dilandau with them. I don't know the details. I'm hated by the sorcerors."  
  
"They must be envious of you, Lord Folken." Eriya said  
  
"We hate sorcerors, too." Naria said  
  
"No, you shouldn't say such things about the sorcerors. Originally, I was a sorceror."  
  
Upon hearing this, the cat girls lean on Folkens lap, to say sorry.  
  
"We're sorry" Naria said  
  
"Lord Folken, we've missed you." Eriya said  
  
"You're our mental nourishment."  
  
"I apologize to both of you." Folken holds then closer to him, "Lend me your strength."  
  
"We know. Our bodies..."  
  
"...and our hearts, are yours, Lord Folken."  
  
Back at Dryden's ship,  
  
"That was a pain." Dryden said, "It took me a while to figure out that it's written in characters of the Mystic Moon."  
  
"Of Earth?" Hitomi said to herself, then Jayson intrudes  
  
"It's latin." Jason said, "I've studied it before, in my times at Hyrule. It is a very old languge that is not even used anymore on the Mystic Moon."  
  
"Oh, I see." Dryden said, "Well, that settles it. We're going to the Mystic Valley."  
  
"Young Lord, restrain yourself." the small assistent said, "You've caught Zaibach's attention. Nothing good will happen."  
  
"You can go home. I've decided to go to the Mystic Valley. Go back to Palas with the ship."  
  
"No way. We lost our cargo, and you're not going back! How do I explain this to the Lord?"  
  
"I'll write to him. He won't mind if I say I'm here with Princess Millerna."   
  
Upon hearing her name, Milerna moved in to say something, but couldn't get it out right.  
  
"Dryden, I..."  
  
"You'll go, because Allen's going."  
  
"Why do I have to go?" Allen asked, now being a bit stubborn.  
  
"You have to, right? Because your father gave up his house, family and properties...to find the Mystic Valley. It's well known in Asturia. Even I knew it."  
  
Allen seems quite pissed off.  
  
"Allen's father..." Hitomi said to herself.  
  
"I'll go, too" Van said, "The Mystic Valley is the homeland of the Dragon Clan. I want to see the origin of the blood circulating in my body...and the secret between that land and Escaflowne"  
  
"Man, is it just coincidence that brings all those related to the Mystic Valley here?"  
  
Later, everyone got on the Crusade and took off. The Crusade was then trailed by two Hyrulean warships that came from the clouds.  
  
"The Enterprise and the Hyperion will be accompany us to the Mystic Valley." Jayson said, "In case Zaibach will follow us to there."  
  
Dryden was reading from the diary.  
  
"In the year when the crystal is in the northeast. On the 12th of Green. I'm heading for Asguld Continent, the dark land no one has ever entered. Yes, I'm sure the Mystic Valley is there. If I get there, I should find the power that creates miracles... ...that I've searched for a long time. Yes, it's the power of Atlantis."  
  
It was a stormy night long ago. A ship is in a storm and is in bad condition.  
  
"No, the rudder isn't working!" a crewmen of the ship said, "It was impossible from the start, in a storm like this!"  
  
"Captain, it's bad! The Energist won't cool down!"  
  
"Damn, it's the curse of the Dragon Clan! Humans shouldn't have entered this sector! Guys, let's turn the ship around!"  
  
But Allen's father grabs the captain and points a knife a this throat.  
  
"That's not what you promised. Keep going. I paid the amount you wanted."  
  
"You fool! The ship won't hold together at this rate! You know that, don't you?!"  
  
"You sold your life to me."  
  
Lightning strikes the ship, causing it to crash into the ocean. Leon is seen leaning on a piece of driftwood in the water.  
  
"I wonder how many days have passed. I recalled that girl's voice...and her appearance, in my dizziness, and...Asguld Continent appeared before me. God has guided me. This is my fate."  
  
Allen hears this from Dryden and was mad again.  
  
"Fate?!"  
  
Back in the flashback, upon reaching land, Leon starts walking. "A play of fate brought that meeting in my youth...and sudden separation. I have to ascertain my feelings for her etched deep in my mind. The Mystic Valley has everything...everything I want."  
  
Allen was having a problem swallowing this in.   
  
"Ridiculous! Was it only to find a girl, that he abandoned his house and family? How pathetic."  
  
"An interesting father, isn't he?" Dryden said  
  
"What?"  
  
"It sounds much better than mine, whose only concern is money. I like his way of life."  
  
Meanwhile, back on Earth at Hitomi's home. Amano, Yukari, and Hitomi's mother, sat down together.  
  
"Have you found any clues yet?" Amano asked  
  
"No. Sorry. It wasn't your fault, so don't worry."  
  
"I still dream of Hitomi running towards me," Yukari said "...while I wait at the station as usual...and she says, "Hello," but I always wake up at that moment..."  
  
Yukari starts crying. Amano puts his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"I dream of Hitomi too." Hitomi's mother managed a smile "She should be fine. There must be many hardships for her, but I'm sure she will be fine...Jason is with her. And the protection of her family is with her..."  
  
Back on Giaea in the Crusade.  
  
"I can't see anything." Reeden said "It's just ocean as far as the eye can see. Sarge."  
  
"Keep going straight. Dryden said it's in this direction."  
  
"Can we trust him?"  
  
"The Boss said okay, so we have no choice."  
  
On the Enterprise, Jayson and his team were readying themselves for anything. In the armory, Jayson's friends were arming themselves for any battles that will take place. They were not taking any chances. They grabbed their swords and then firearms, like rifles and handguns. Each of them put on armor of their own.  
  
Jayson walks in the room and the dozen soldiers, plus his own buddies, stood up at attention to greet him and then back to their preparations. Jayson walks to Kyle, his first officer on the ship.  
  
"How are things going?"  
  
"We're almost ready." Kyle said, "If Zaibach even tries to come to us, we'll be ready for them."  
  
"I hope so. Because we were completely surprised when those Tearings came out of nowhere. We're either not as sharp as we always were or Zaibach has some more tricks to show us."  
  
"We have 30 Guymelefs all together with Hyperion's melefs. Then, there's Escaflowne and Allen's melef is almost done being repaired."  
  
"Good." Jayson looks out the window, seeing a storm going. "We should prepare for the approaching weather. It's not combat time yet."  
  
Jayson leaves the room and later appears on the bridge.   
  
"All hands secure your stations." Jayson announced throughout the ship, "We'll be approaching some bad weather up ahead. Be prepare for anything."  
  
Back at the Crusade, Dryden continues to read.  
  
" 'On the 16th of Blue, a blizzard and a rocky stretch blocked my way... ...as if it were testing the one seeking trught. But in that place...' "  
  
In a flashback, Leon reaches a cave when he was wandering in the snow.  
  
" '...I met an old man. There is another who believes in the existence of the Mystic Valley and is searching for it. When I asked his name, he said, Issac. I never got his last name though.' "  
  
Issac was a really old looking man, He had somekind of machinery strapped to his back, like a life support system.  
  
Back on Earth, Hitomi's mother brings out a photo album.  
  
"I've never told this to anyone...but I'd better tell you. My mother told this to me once. It was when I was Hitomi's age. On the way home from a summer festival, she was surrounded by a light. When she woke up, she was in a place she'd never seen before."  
  
Amono and Yukari were shocked from what she just said.  
  
Back to the flashback of Leon's story.  
  
"Issac's story was very interesting. He was looking for the Mystic Valley to solve the mystery of Atlantis. Surprisingly, he said he came from the Mystic Moon, just like that girl."  
  
Hitomi hears this and was surprised.  
  
"From my world?"  
  
"Yeah, like you!" Dryden said  
  
Back on Earth, Hitomi's mother shows the two a picture of Hitomi's grandmother when she was about Hitomi's age. Hitomi's grandmother looked almost exactly like her, but her hair was long and dark black. She was wearing a kimono that looks like the one Hitomi is wearing now. Another picture of her, she was dressed in a sort of martial arts uniform and was holding the same sword that Hitomi has now.  
  
But for the moment, Amono and Yukari were shocked.  
  
"That's..." Amono said  
  
"She looks like Hitomi!"  
  
"This is my mother," Hitomi's mom said  
  
Back on Gaiea, Hitomi finds herself traveling back in time, to the moment when Leon first saw the girl from the Mystic Moon.  
  
"That's Allen's father." Hitomi said and then sees a pillar of light before her. A figure appears within the figure. She was Hitomi's grandmother, "She is!-It can't be."  
  
Leon reaches the top of the cliff. He walks up to the girl and kneels before her, holding up her hand as the sun sets. Later, Leon made a fire and he listened to her story of where she came from.  
  
"I can't believe that you're an inhabitant of the Mystic Moon. I started this journey to get rid of my fetters. But that sounds meaningless when I look in your eyes. Will you forgive me?"  
  
But suddenly, the pillar of light appears again, returning her to the Mystic Moon. Leon reaches out for her, but its too late.   
  
Then, Hitomi thinks of her grandmother and remembers the last time she saw her. She had never really seen her grandmother at her age, but when she saw her, other memories intrude.  
  
"Grandma?"  
  
Meanwhile in Zaibach, a sorceror sees General Adelphos.  
  
"General Adelphos, I've come to request permission for Dilandau to return home"  
  
"A sorceror wants permission...? Although he's under my command now, you sorcerors are the ones who sent him to me. Let me hear the reason."  
  
"He's sick. Chief of Staff Folken informed me."  
  
"How unusual for that devil to become sick."  
  
"We'll return him to you once he's recovered."  
  
Dilandou was carried off in a ship and they fly to Zaibach  
  
Back at the Vione, Folken talks to Dornkirk.  
  
"Asguld...? They must be heading for the Mystic Valley." Dornkirk said  
  
"The legendary Mystic Valley...?"  
  
"Right. It's the homeland of the Dragon Clan, the Atlanteans. They must've figured it out."  
  
Leon's story continues.  
  
" 'On the 3rd of White, Isaac and I reached a field of heavy fog. The Mystic Valley must be beyond this. However, Isaac disappeared before I knew it. We were seperated by this thick fog...? Could that mean... No, I should concentrate on reaching the Mystic Valley. If I get there, the mysteries of Atlantis will be solved. Then, I should be able to see that girl again. If I could see her, I could-' "  
  
But Allen was still in rage over this.  
  
"I can't take this." Allen walks out.  
  
"Are you running away?" Dryden asked "Trivial things like this can disturb a Knight of Heaven. How interesting."  
  
"I don't think I'm going to like you."  
  
"That's fine. I don't either."  
  
"Dryden, that was rude." Hitomi said, as she walks out to follow Allen.  
  
"Great, another girl's gonna hate me." Dryden said as he looks back to the book, and found ot he lost his spot.  
  
Hitomi finds Allen in a corner, looking upset.  
  
"Allen."  
  
Allen turns to greet her.  
  
"Hitomi?"  
  
"Yeah,"  
  
"How embarrassing it was for me..."  
  
"No, it wasn't. I..."  
  
"There's no way I can forgive my father...a man who abandoned his family."  
  
"That's not true. You kept your father's diary. You could have thrown it away, but you didn't. I think it's because, somewhere in your mind, you want to know about your father. You're a kind person. You can't hate someone so much. If your heart truly despaired, I...no one would like you. You want to forgive your father don't you?"  
  
"I might have been afraid...to know the reason he abandoned me. Maybe I can't accept it in my heart."  
  
"Allen..."  
  
"I wonder if you could forgive me."  
  
Back to Dryden. Van was on the bridge with him.  
  
"Once we pass this, we'll be very close." Dryden said.  
  
"I'll look around. You stay here, Merle." Van walks out of the room.  
  
Van walks out into the hall. Meanwhile, Allen steps up close to Hitomi. The ship suddenly shakes while passing some flying rocks. Hitomi falls into Allen's arms.  
  
"God, even the floating rocks are flying around!" Gadess said "Reeden, keep watching ahead! If we crash into one, it's all over!"  
  
"Right,"  
  
At Enterprise.  
  
"Watch out!" Jayson shouted, "The ion storm is causing the wild leva stones to go nuts."  
  
"Damn it!" Marcus said as he banks the ship left to avoid another stone.  
  
"If we can't go around it, we might have to blow them into pieces to get across!"  
  
Back on the Crusade, Van walks in, and is shocked at what he sees. Dryden comes in shortly after.  
  
"There you are. We're almost there. Let's go to the bridge."  
  
The three ships cleared the storm.  
  
"Clearing sky..." Dryden said, "The Mystic Valley's ahead of us..."  
  
They arrive at a snowy area, devoid of any landmarks. It was a barren land. The landscape confused everyone. They were expecting something different, like a lost city or something besides this nothingness.  
  
"Is this the Mystic Valley?" Hitomi asked  
  
"There's nothing here." Van said, stating the obvious  
  
"This isn't right," Dryden said, "I'm sure of...wait, what's this?"  
  
"What is it?" Allen asked  
  
"A page has been torn out."  
  
Then, Paile was looking through the parascope and saw-  
  
"Sarge, here comes a Zaibach floating fortress!"  
  
"What?!"  
  
On the Enterprise.  
  
"They're here." Jayson said, "Battle stations. Tell the Hyperion to get ready too."  
  
Over at the Fortress.  
  
"Asturian ship spotted!" a Zaibach lookout said, "It's being escorted by two Hyrulean warship!"  
  
"Naria, Eriya, can you hear me?" Folken said  
  
"Yes, Lord Folken. ready anytime." Naria said  
  
"We'll bring your brother back." Eriya said  
  
"I'm counting on you."  
  
"Let's do it." Naria said  
  
"I know, Sis." Eriya said  
  
The two Teraings flew out of the fortress and toward the three ships ahead, followed by several dozen Alseidies.  
  
"Their coming!" Allen shouted  
  
"Are they going to force us to the ground?" Gadess said, "Paile, how's Scherazade?"  
  
"No! We haven't even finished half of it!"  
  
As the other Zaibach units grew closer, one of them were shot. From the Excalibur, Jayson was holding a guymelef size rifle and then jumps off the ship to do battle. He was followed by his team.  
  
"Tracking about 38 units up ahead!" one of the soldiers back in the ship said  
  
"All units engage!" Jayson shouted as he drew his sword  
  
Back on the Crusade, Hitomi remembers what he grandmother said to her back then.  
  
"Hitomi...Your wish will come true, if you wish strongly. Hitomi, keep this."  
  
"Grandma, let us see the Mystic Valley. Show it to everyone. Please, Grandma."  
  
"After coming this far..." Dryden said "I want to see the Mystic Valley."  
  
"Mother, what do you expect me to do...?" Van said  
  
"I can't die here." Allen said to himself, "I'll settle the matter with you in the Mystic Valley."  
  
Naria and Eriya broke through Jayson's line and decends on the Crusade.   
  
Back on the Vione,  
  
"Van, what do you want to see in the Mystic Valley?" Folken asks.  
  
Then, Escaflowne's energist glows, enveloping the small fleet of ships whole in a pillar of light. Naria and Eriya's Guymelefs are knocked away, as well as their forces. A portal appears above the ship and draws them in.  
  
"Impossible. The gate to Atlantis has opened." Folken said  
  
Jayson looks up and sees the opening.  
  
"All units, return to the ships. The gate's been open!" His group flew back to their respective carriers. The opening was sucking everything else inside, "This is going to be one ride."  
  
All three ships and the Guymelefs outside disappeared into the portal.  
  
To be continued... 


	13. Chapter XII

Escaflowne  
  
The large beam of light engulfs the Crusade, the Enterprise, and the Hyperion, sending them into the skies above. Naria and Eriya land outside of the light, onto the snowy ground.  
  
"Sis, what should we do?" Eriya asks  
  
"Stay there, both of you" Folken's voice said  
  
"But Lord Folken!" the both said at once  
  
The Vione flies near them. Folken, inside talks to them.  
  
"It is too dangerous for both you you to go in blind. We don't know anything about this. Stay put for now."  
  
The two cats and their unit didn't have any other bright ideas, so they stood their ground.  
  
At the Edge of the World  
  
The Crusade and it's escort ships were tossed around in some kind of vortex. Neither ships were able to stablize their flight path.  
  
"The rudders aren't working!" a crewman shouted on the Crusade  
  
"The lift gauge is maxed out!" another shouted  
  
The ships continues to shake as the pillar of light, coming out of a large ring in the sky deposits them in a new area.  
  
"Our condition has been stablized." a crewman on the Enterprise said, "We've cleared the portal."  
  
Back on the Crusade.  
  
"That's..." Van started to say  
  
"The Mystic Valley..." Allen finished  
  
"Yes, it's the lost capital of Atlantis."  
  
The ships were flying over an area that looked exactly like the one that Hitomi and Van visited in their minds. Hitomi clutches her pendent.  
  
"So that's the Mystic Valley..." Hitomi said to herself, and then her pendant glows and Hitomi suddenly dissapears in a pink light.   
  
"Hitomi!" Allen shouted as he grabbed air, but then vanishes with her.  
  
"Allen!" Van shouted, but he disappears too.  
  
"Where did they go?!" Milerna asked  
  
"There! Hitomi's down there!" Gadess shouted as he pointed to her.  
  
On the Enterprise.  
  
"Sir, our spotters reported that King Van, Sir Allen, and the girl Hitomi, disappeared from the Crusade bridge," a crewmen said to Jayson.  
  
"What happened?" Jayson asked  
  
"We don't know, sir. But Hitomi had just reappeared on the ground."  
  
"Ready a landing party to recover her. We don't know what's down there. She might be in danger."  
  
On the ground, Hitomi sort of wanders a bit.  
  
"I've seen this before. It's the same as the vision when Van was near death." she then clutches her sword, knowing that she recieved it here. She looks over the horizon at the city.  
  
Somewhere else, Van was standing in the ruins of Fanelia. A broken statue lies at his feet.  
  
"I can't be here..." Van said, and then a feather drops to the ground next to him. Van turns around, noticing many of them. He finally believed where he was, "This is Fanelia..."  
  
"Van." a voice from behind him spoke out softly to him.  
  
Van turns and was greeted by his mother.  
  
"Mother?!"  
  
Meanwhile, Allen was standing on a windy field. He turns around and sees his sister. She smiles at him then runs away, quickly vanishing.  
  
"Serena!" Allen shouted as he tried to chase after her, but he then switched to a different scene and was standing before his home.  
  
Back outside in relaity, Hitomi walks up to a momument and recognizes it.   
  
"This is..." but a voice behind her intrudes her thoughts  
  
"Hitomi!" Jayson shouted as he approaches closer. He was accompany by his team and the others from the Crusade.  
  
"Hitomi..." Merle started, "...where's Lord Van? Where?"  
  
"Thats a monument with the characters of Atlantis..." Dryden said, "I'm sure...this is the Mystic Valley, the ruins of Atlantis."  
  
"Can you understand that writing?" Milerna asked Dryden, but Hitomi answers it  
  
" 'Thirteenth month of the New Nebular Era...' " Hitomi started to read as if it she knew it from the bottom of her heart.  
  
"You can read this?" Dryden asks  
  
Hitomi steps up closer to the monument and puts her hand on it. Suddenly, she has a vision of travelling through the Monument. She opens her eyes and is in Atlantis. Atlantis as it was 5000 years ago. She continues to recite the passage on the monument.  
  
" 'We are the Dragon Clan, called Draconians, the descendants of Atlantis...who were born in the capital of Atlantis on the world called Earth, which is called here, the Mystic Moon.' "  
  
"The...Mystic Moon?" Dryden said dumbfounded, "The Atlanteans are people from the Mystic Moon..."  
  
Hitomi continues,  
  
" 'Atlantis... They had a massive power and build an evil machine to surpass the gods.' " Hitomi sees a large black, cone shape machine. " 'That machine converted people's wishes into power and made anything possible.' "  
  
Images of Atlanteans stand around a large tower with a glowing energist on the top,   
  
" 'And they created wings on their backs, and even changed their appearance.' " She now sees various winged Atlanteans. Now Hitomi stands on a staircase in her vision. " 'However.' "  
  
The tower blows up, causing a large explosion that engulfs the land. Fire causes the structures to collapse. A large group of Atlanteans holding up pendants, just like hers, stand in a large group. Light from their pendants causes a huge amount of energy to go through the atmosphere into space, forming a planet.  
  
" 'Their strong wishes created a new planet, Giaea, in the sky. It was from the strong wishes of the Atlanteans...to prevent repeating their foolish mistakes. Giaea is a beautiful planet, which is held by the sky, loved by water, and grown by land.' "  
  
"The power of wishes created Gaea...?" Dryden said, "A machine that convert wishes into reality? Thats the secret of Atlantis?!"  
  
Hitomi stares at her own pendent,  
  
"How is this..." Hitomi said but she heard someone's voice behind her.  
  
"I entrusted it to her." the voice said  
  
Hitomi turned around, and right away, the area surrounding her changed into a snowy landscape. Leon stands there.   
  
"Who?" But then she heard Allen's voice  
  
"Father..." he said  
  
Allen stands next to Hitomi.  
  
Elsewhere, Van stands in Fanelia, seeing energy go out from the castle.  
  
"This is a memory from earlier in my life...?"  
  
"Yes. It's a bloody memory of the Dragon Clan." Balgas said as he appears next to Van "...the memory in your blood, Lord Van."  
  
"Balgas?"  
  
"Lord Van, you shouldn't turn your eyes away from your fate. The Dragon Clan is descended from Atlantis. To prevent Gaea from following Atlantis' path...you are fated to face it, and fight. You have to fight with Escaflowne."  
  
"No, I don't want to fight anymore! I don't want to fight!"  
  
Hitomi opens her eyes back into reality.  
  
"They're...here...Van and Allen are in here." Hitomi said as she walked closer to it.  
  
Back inside the vision world, Allen stands at his mother's grave.  
  
"Why am I here?" Allen asked himself, then he heard a voice behind him.  
  
"Allen." Allen turned around to see his father.  
  
"Father."  
  
"Allen, I'm glad you're here. I guess my wish has come true."  
  
Hitomi watches as the two of them talk in Allen's home.  
  
"Well, what should I start with?" Leon said  
  
"What can you tell me at this time?"  
  
"You became a Knight of Heaven, didn't you? Your mother must be proud. Your mother...how's Encia doing?"  
  
"She...died while you were on your journey."  
  
"I see..." Leon takes off his glasses and tears fall from his eyes.  
  
"Why...why do you weep?"  
  
"Anyone sheds tears if someone they love dies."  
  
"No, you didn't love my mother!"  
  
"Allen." Hitomi said in concern, but she was a ghost to them.  
  
Back to Van,  
  
"Yes, you hate it." Balas said  
  
Ghosts appears around Van, who slashes away with his sword and screams.  
  
"No! Stay away! Don't!"  
  
Escaflowne appears behind him. At the monument, Hitomi senses what's happening.  
  
"No, Van." Hitomi walks closer   
  
"Are you alright, Hitomi?"  
  
"Bring them back." Hitomi said to her pendent, "Please bring them back."  
  
But then, another voice intrudes her vision. She opens her eyes and sees Van's mother.  
  
"Don't...You shouldn't use the power of wishes. Your wish comes from your anxiety. That wish realizes your anxiety. "  
  
"My wishes?"  
  
"You're the one who is making Van and the others suffer."  
  
"I am..."  
  
"Your fortune telling...You think you're reading the future, but that is not so."  
  
Hitomi remembers Balgas's death, Allen getting injured and Van laying wounded on a table. She hadn't foretold the future. She was making the future through her powers.  
  
"I-"  
  
"Youre anxiety, amplified by your fortune telling... has chosen a sad result out of many possible futures. Even now, your heart is full of anxiety."  
  
The pendant swings, showing Van and Allen. Hitomi stands in a snowy field.  
  
"I...I've drawn a sad future into reality? My wishes did?" Hitomi falls to her knees, "This is...It's my fault."  
  
"Don't stop believing Hitomi...." Hitomi looks up and sees a mysterious figure before. He had the fetures of Van, and Jayson, slightly, but he was someone different. He wore a dark black cloak, but his fice was uncovered. Another figure appears behind him.  
  
"When times are harsh to you, call upon us." It was someone else that was behind Hitomi's grandmother, "The strength, courage, and wisdom of your family will always guide you toward the right path."  
  
The new figure had red hair, but he was japanese. He was wearing a maroon colored kimono. On his left cheek was a scar in the shape of a cross.  
  
"Hitomi...believe..." Hitomi turns around to meet the face of her grandmother, as she was when she was her age.  
  
"Grandma,"  
  
"...believe in someone you love...never lose hope if you believe."  
  
Allen stands in the snowy field as well with her.  
  
"Is this place?"  
  
A wounded Leon holds his injured arm as he walks. A large vehicle pulls up in front of him.  
  
"Those are Zaibach soldiers!"  
  
"They've been chasing me," Leon explained to Allen "...ever since I left the Mystic Valley. They're after the secret of Atlantis."  
  
"Atlantis?"  
  
Zaibach soldiers surround Leon and attack him. Leon, now mortally wounded, falls to the ground. Inside the vehicle, Dornkirk sits. A soldier brings him Leon's diary. Dornkirk looks at the book and sees the ripped page on it.  
  
"Damn you..." Dornkirk said, "You've sacrificed your family and life... ...and you still don't want to give me the secret of the Mystic Valley."  
  
The book is dropped next to his body and the vehicle drives away. Leon holds his pendant in his hand and utters.  
  
"The power of Atlantis...the power of wishes...Just one more time...just once...that girl..." He opens his eyes. The pillar of light brings the girl in front of him. "You're... why...why do you look the same as that moment...?"  
  
She kneels down in front of him.  
  
"I see. The secret of Atlantis...this is the power of wishes. My wish at that moment was right." He gives her the pendent, "You keep this...I want you to keep this. Wishes will come true no matter how far apart we are...beyond time and dimension."  
  
He puts it in her hands. The pendant glows and she is sent back to earth.  
  
"Forgive me, Encia..."  
  
He falls over dead, as his hand touches the book. It glows and vanishes. Allen watches from afar. Allen's house appears in front of him. Inside, his mother turns around as the diary appears on a desk. She picks it up.  
  
"Oh Leon."  
  
"Mother..." Allen said "Mother loved father till the end. And father felt the same for her..."  
  
"I loved her."  
  
"Then, why?"  
  
"I got married because of family, and had children. I tried to live by denying my true self. But people want to break away from the thread of fate."  
  
Encia and Hitomi's grandmother appear beside him.  
  
"When I met that girl again, I realized that...I loved Encia...and you, Allen..."  
  
"Father..."  
  
"People can be so foolish...What's the power of Atlantis, and the wishes of people? I didn't notice my own wishes, or Encia's either. Allen, be true to yourself, and nourish your wishes."  
  
Leon starts to disappear in the horizon, but Allen tries to chase after him.  
  
"Wait! Father! Come back!" Allen was not able to reach him, "I have too many unanswered questions for you!"  
  
"You have to find your own answers."  
  
But Allen continues to reach out for a hand, but Hitomi's hand came out of the light Leon was going in.  
  
"Allen!" she grabs a hold of him and the both of them disappear back into reality.  
  
Hitomi wakes up and Allen appears somewhere not too far from everyone.  
  
"Was this Hitomi's doing?" Dryden said  
  
"Thank goodness you've made it back." Milerna said as she reaches Allen.  
  
Hitomi still was standing on the monument.  
  
On the other side of the portal, Naria and Eryia were waiting impatiently.   
  
"This looks bad," Eriya said.  
  
"You're right, but we must try."  
  
The two jumps up and flies toward the portal. Folken tries to stop the two,  
  
"It's too dangerous! Stop, both of you!"  
  
"Don't worry. We have good fortune." Naria said  
  
"We'll bring your brother back."Eriya said  
  
On the otherside, everyone sees that the portal was reacting with the two coming through it.  
  
"Something's breaking through the portal." Jayson said  
  
Back inside the vision world, Van was on his knees, his sword stuck through the ground. Balgas was behind him.  
  
"I can hear it...the sounds of war." Balgas said  
  
"I...I hear it too...so much more pain, suffering...death...has yet to come. I don't want to fight anymore. I don't want to kill. To take more lives."  
  
"Then you are doomed." Jayson's image appears in front of him "Van, you must fight!"  
  
The entrance to the Mystic Valley glows and the two Teiring appears under it.  
  
"We did it!" Naria shouted  
  
"We are so lucky!"  
  
Inside the Crusade, Escaflowne glows and then vanishes from the hanger. Then, Escaflowne appears behind the Teirings. Van was inside already.  
  
"Escaflowne?" Allen said  
  
"So...I am brought back to face battle...once again." Van said as he looks up at the Teirings.  
  
"We won't let you get away this time," Naria said  
  
"No help from that cat this time." Eriya said  
  
Van hears Balgas in his head.  
  
"Fight! Break away from the sadness of war with your bloody hands. Lord Van!"  
  
"Fight Van!" Jayson shouted in his head, "The King of our country never runs from his enemies! Fight! Fight them Van! Fight!"  
  
Van stands in the darkness with his sword drawn. Hitomi tries to call out to him.  
  
"Believe in him." Hitomi's grandmother said  
  
"Grandma?"  
  
"If your anxiety brought bad incidents, the opposite should be possible. Hitomi, believe in him."  
  
Escaflwone stood still.  
  
"Escaflowne's pain is my pain...the pain of war." Van takes out Escaflowne's sword, "If war is truly unavoidable...I'll accept the karma of war...along with the sadness of the dead!"  
  
Van points his sword up and everything shakes. The Entrance to the Mystic Valley explodes. Naria and Eriya are swept out of the Mystic Valley.  
  
"Incoming shockwave!" a Zaibach soldier shouted  
  
"Van." Folken said as the fortress was swept away along with the other guymelefs it sent out, including Naria's and Eriya's.  
  
The Enterprise, Hyperion and theThe Crusade, along with its passengers and Escaflowne stand where the Mystic Valley used to be.  
  
"The Mystic Valley has disappeared." Allen said  
  
Escaflowne's cockpit opens. Van steps out. His mother appears in front of him.  
  
"Mother..."  
  
"Van. Your wishes will determine the future of Gaea. " she starts to disappear in the distant.  
  
"Mother!"  
  
"Don't forget Van."  
  
Vari flies away, but drops an energist into Van's hands.  
  
"This is...an energist."  
  
Then Escaflowne's energist reacts to it and so does Hitomi's pendent and Jayson's guymelef.  
  
"What's going on?" Jayson asked,   
  
Hitomi's pendent starts to glow, and so does Escaflowne's energist glows strangely. The one in Van's hand does as well.  
  
"Escaflowne is..." Jayson started to say.  
  
Hitomi and Jayson disappears in a blinding white light.  
  
"Hitomi! Jayson!" Allen runs toward the light but starts to disappear before he moved. Escaflowne and Excalibur both disappears.  
  
"They're gone." Milerna said.  
  
Later, the blinding pillar of light landed in a strange city, covered by machina. It was a place that was almost like it was from Earth, but so different from a modernized world on Earth.  
  
In a room at the citidel's center, Van, Allen, and Hitomi, were transported into a large room. It was the same room where Dornkirk lies. Escaflowne appears behind them.  
  
"Van!" Hitomi shouted as she walked to Van.  
  
"Where are we?" Allen asks  
  
"This place..." Hitomi recognizes it from somewhere in her heart. "We are in Zaibach."  
  
"We are where?" Allen asked, but something happens. The floor began to shake as they realized that they are on a moving platform.  
  
A omnious voice spoke out in the darkness.  
  
"Welcome...those, who are tied to the fate of the Dragon. " The voice was Dornkirk.  
  
They reach the same level as the rest of the room, and the giant machine Dornkirk's on comes into the light.  
  
"Did you bring us here?!" Van demanded  
  
"Yes...Everything is following fate. "  
  
"Fate?" Van said back  
  
"I'll guide Gaea into the future. I'm the leader of the Zaibach Empire. My name is Dornkirk."  
  
"So we are at the center of Zaibach.  
  
"That's the leader of Zaibach...Because of him, my brother is-" Van draws his sword and points it at Dornkirk.  
  
"If I kill you, the tragedies in Gaea'll end!"  
  
"Is that so? War breaks out at anytime, anywhere. War is an unavoidable fate of humanity. It is an 'endless waltz'...war...peace...revolution...continues on forever."  
  
"What do you know about the fate of others?" Van said "You think you are a god? Even a god can't predict the future!"  
  
"I am blessed with ability to predict fate like the people of Atlantis did."  
  
"Atlantis?" Hitomi thought about it and it hit her, "You are Issac!"  
  
"Heh...I haven't heard from that name is quite a while...since my time on Earth."  
  
"So you are the man called Issac that my father met!" Allen said  
  
"So you are Leon's son, are you not? I thought I saw him in your eyes. How miserable of him. If he had given us the secret of Atlantis..."  
  
"You..." Allen was getting anger and readies to draw his ow sword with Van.  
  
"But I discovered the secret of Atlantis myself. I'll complete the Atlantis machine."  
  
"You... why did you come to Giaea? If you hadn't come, everyone would have been happy! "  
  
"That is not true...Even Giaea's been flooded by blood... ...the blood of war before I came here just like Earth. Yes, one day on Earth, I was taken hold of by a question. Everything shares a common principle. There's a drawing force that acts between objects. That's gravity. I wondered why that invisible force exists in the world. People love each other, but kill each other also. That's the nature of the world. Death repeats again and again, and there're so many "orders" in the world. But what could the "origin" of the orders be? That's fate... the fundamental power to sustain the universe."  
  
"Fate?" Hitomi was confused,  
  
"What is fate and its definition? Is there any principles? I devoted everything I had to study and experimentation to solve the mystery. However, I couldn't deduce the answer" Dornkirk remembers his time on Earth and his death. "My wish never weakened, even at the time of death. Rather, it increased. I want to know...I want to know the principle of fate."  
  
Dornkirk remembers being on Giaea for the first time.  
  
"When I awoke, I was in an unfamiliar place. It had barren soil, severe weather, and people who lived by depending on a very limited harvest... They were scared, and suffered from routine invasions. What a severe fate... I realized that I came here to save these people....I gave everything I had, and the wisdom called science. I told them to overcome nature. The science I knew was for the sake of people. I told them to defeat the enemy, and not to follow fate, but to create their own fate. People followed my wishes...and an absolutely idealistic country, the Zaibach Empire, was established. Then, I came to know the legend of Atlantis, which involved the creation of Gaea. That was very important to me. It was the ability of Atlantis to create one's fate. Since then, I've devoted all my knowledge to discover the principle...and finally, I built a device to create fate!"  
  
It was he who create Zaibach, he brought the concept of science to Zaibach before it was its time to awaken that kind of knowledge. He created a modern era here and sent Giaea to his ideal future.  
  
"They say that Atlanteans converted people's wishes into power, and controlled their fate. Yes, Gaea is a creation of Atlantis also."  
  
"Giaea is Atlantis's..."  
  
"To activate the device that can create such a wonderful power...I had to find the power of Atlantis. It was the Power Spot left on Gaea. It was realized by conquering Freid. And the last key, the Dragon called Escaflowne, has come to me, following fate."  
  
"Escaflowne is..."  
  
"And what I've dreamt of... ...the legendary Atlantis Machine, the "Fate Redirector." has been completed."  
  
" Fate redirector?" Van said  
  
"That's wrong!" Hitomi shouted, "To change fate using a machine. You've made so many people suffer to complete this."  
  
Hitomi remembers Fanelia burnt to the ground, Balgas dead, the ruins of Freid, and Duke Freid dying.  
  
"You are wrong in doing this!"  
  
"Sacrifice is a necessary factor in creating a new fate. Small misfortune is a foundation for bigger happiness. If I can create an absolute fortune, everyone will be perfectly happy."  
  
"No...that is wrong! We can't just change our destiny with a machine! It'll destroy us! Just like Atlantis!"  
  
Hitomi was standing on the Moon and she as she stood there was it was cracked into many pieces. It had a large chunk and then a third of it blown away. She saw Giaea and Earth in one place in Space. And another war erupts around her. A fleet spaceships with the banner of Fanelia on the hull as it approaches Earth. Explosions were all around her. Hitomi comes out of the vision, and passes out.  
  
"Hitomi!" Van shouted as he holds her.  
  
"Observe with me...the new fate I am creating..." behind the three, were several guards with firearms. The one in the center was the elf that was on the Vione a while ago. Hitomi was partially awake and sees the elf in dark green armor.  
  
"You are..." but Hitomi passes out again.  
  
On the Crusade, Milerna was standing near Scherazade, looking out at the sky.  
  
"Nothing'll happen even if you keep watching." Dryden said as he approaches her. "We have no idea where they've been taken. It's a waste of time to wander around in the ship, like this."  
  
"Waste time? How can you say that! Your such a-"  
  
"-Yes, I am a merchant. Zaibach is definately going to destroy Gaea. I'll stop it in my own way. I'm sure they will return."  
  
"Dryden..."  
  
"I believe that people's fates are tied together...I believe that my wish'll come true someday."  
  
Back in Zaibach, Escaflowne was being examined by the sorcerors.  
  
"This is the last key to the Fate Redirector. Ispano's Guymelef has such power? We have to find its secret ourselves, no matter what. We can't fall any further behind Folken."  
  
Elsewhere, in a hallway, Jayson appears in his Guymelef.  
  
"Where...where am I?" Jayson turns on his suit's hovering system and flies around a bit. "From the looks of the interior, this looks like...Zaibach!"  
  
Jayson then ends up in a large hallway, where a squad of Zaiback melefs stood guard.  
  
"Yup, I'm in Zaibach country alright." the Zaibach melefs charge at him, bring out weapons. "Great. My luck seems to take to everywhere."  
  
Jayson drew his sword and charges the ground, plowing through them. More came behind him.  
  
"Damn it. It's never ending." Jayson fires his claws at them, and then burns them all with his flame-throwers. "That should cover my trail."  
  
Jayson flies off and then his melef acted weird and came to a stop.  
  
"What the hell is this?" the energist started to glow. "My energist...is reacting to something."  
  
He turns and faced a large door,  
  
"In here?" Jayson opens the doors and jumps in with his sword at the ready.  
  
The room was dark and nothing was in it, say for some columns in the middle of the room. Then all of a sudden, Jaysone felt something in his head and holds his head in pain.  
  
"What is it..." The pain stopped, but he still flet a presence in the room "Who's goes there?! Show yourself!"  
  
Out of the darkness, a black melef with red tirm appeared from invisablity. It was holding a long broad sword backhanded and folds its arms as it spreads demonic looking skeletal bird wings which unfolds.   
  
"You don't belong here..." a dark voice said from the speakers outside of the dark melef. Then, the melef disappears in a blink of an eye and reappears behind Jayson, who jumps out of the way, just narrowly escaping an attack that came from no where.  
  
"What the hell?" Jayson said to himself in shock. No one was ever able to get behind him in a straight one on one battle like that.  
  
The dark melef reapears to his left, and Jayson attacks, but he faded into air before the attack reached him.  
  
"Identify yourself!" the dark melef shouted as he attacked Jayson again from his left with his large sword. Jayson blocks and spreads his wings as he jumps backward. Then, Jayson jumps forward and rams into the mysterious melef and knocks away his sword and then kicks him in the gut. The dark melef fell backward and Jayson points his sword at his throat. "Well, not bad."  
  
The dark melef shoots a pair of liquid metal claw from under his arms at his wrists at Jayson, who jumps back.  
  
"This guy's good," Jayson admitted to himself. "Who are you?!"  
  
"I asked first." the dark melef stood up and from his back he drew two short swords and twirls them around, "If you won't answer me...have at you."  
  
The dark melef dashes forward and crosses blades. Jayson knocks away the blades and it left the dark melef opened so he punches his chest with his left arm and then spun aroun, bringing the full force of his sword at the guy's side as he hits him with the blunt side of the sword, sending him flying.  
  
"Impossible," the dark one said to himself. He was the strongest of them all. A lot more than any of the dragonslayers, or Dilandou. For the first time, this pilot which was the elf that was with Folken that time, was surprised, "Who are you!"  
  
Jayson jumps up and brings his blade onto him, but he missed as the dark melef disappeared and reappeared behind him. He grabs him in the face, but Jayson kicks him in the stomach again and he brought his sword around to strike, but he was blocked. At that moment, the two saw each other's face. Though they were physically blocked with their masks on, they saw each other's face.  
  
"...Jayson..."   
  
"...Link!"  
  
The two seperated and stood apart, swords at the ready.  
  
"So we meet again, old friend." Link said, "I've been expecting this meeting for some time."  
  
Jayson was in rage and attacks him in full force,  
  
"Bastard!" Jayson attacks, but was blocked again, "Traitor!"  
  
Jayson pushes Link back.  
  
"You've betrayed us..." Jayson said, "Why!!"  
  
Jayson jumps at him again and the two clashed again.   
  
"Why are you doing this!?" Jayson pushes him back. Every attack he makes was an attack to kill him, even if he didn't get his question answered. Every attempted strike was meant to kill him. "Answer me Link!"  
  
Link ducks down from an attack and does an up slash at Jayson, slashing the left side of his torso. Jayson falls backward. Link fires his claws at Jayson, and ties them around him.   
  
"Yes, I did change sides...maybe because I saw the future. Perhaps that this was suppose to happen."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Destiny changes at a whim on my command, on your command either of us can change the future and mold it to our liking. The destiny where this will lead to...is stained with the blood of our kind."  
  
"I...I don't understand!"  
  
"Don't you see the future? Haven't you seen what lies ahead in the future to come. What I saw was destruction."  
  
Jayson looks at Link's red eyes and sees what he sees.   
  
In this vision Jayson was not in Zaibach. He was standing on Earth or what appeared to be Earth.  
  
"Where am I?" Jayson asked, but there was no answer. Then, the ground shook and there were explosions everywhere. He saw giant mechs walking around the place.  
  
The large dark blue colored mechs had one large yellow colored, eye in the shape of a square. They were firing at something. In the distant, the thing they were firing at...what the Excalibur?  
  
"That is..." Jayson then changes scene and was floating in space.   
  
He saw a huge battle erupt on Earth. He can tell because form Space, large explosions were occuring all over Earth. Some much so that you can even see them in Space. He floated pass by large spaceships with arrays of weapons on their hull.   
  
"This is the future." Link's voice said through the vision. This is what will happen.  
  
Then, the scene was dark and he saw two figures in the distant. It was a couple, and they were in each other's arm. He apparently wasn't noticed by them. The guy to his left looked alot like himself and he saw that he was carrying Van's sword at his side. The look alike lean close to the girl he was holding. The girl looked younger than he was. maybe 16 or so. She had long brown/blonde like hair, with some parts of her hair braided and tied behind her head. and blue eyes.  
  
"She looks like...Zelda." Jayson said  
  
"This is where the path of destiny will go."  
  
Something was bothering Jayson. He felt something wrong about this picture.  
  
"No..." Jayson said to Link  
  
"What?"  
  
"This...this is not right...this is not the future...your vision is clouded."  
  
"What are you talking about. I see the future."  
  
"That is as long as I still live..." Jayson said to himself  
  
"What did you say?!"  
  
The image changed, the same girl was now being held by a different guy. The guy had short cropped brown hair and dark blue eyes.   
  
"Is that suppose to be me?" Link asked  
  
"...no...that isn't you...and the one he's holding isn't Zelda." The scene changed and everything went dark. "The future is what we make of it. We can't just predict it."  
  
Then, someone else interrupts the two. a dark figure appears before them.  
  
"What is this trick?" Link ask, "Who did you bring into this vision?"  
  
"I didin't do anything..."  
  
"The future...is set." the dark figure said  
  
"What?" Link said  
  
"What will happen will happen. The future is forever change because of your decision Jayson."  
  
"My choice?"  
  
"Yes...the choice of life and death...for that choice, the future will be altered."  
  
"Is that why you are here?" Jayson asked "Who are you?"  
  
"I am someone...that doesn't exist...not yet anyway."  
  
"So what? Are you saying you are a being that is not born yet, but then how are you able to exist in this dream vision if you do not exist."  
  
"Oh, I exists alright...just not yet."  
  
Jayson hears something behind him, a chant of some sort. He turns around and appears on a balcony looking over an army of soldiers. Behind the army was a large army of large mechs that he was unfamiliar with. He heard the army chant at him, but he looked besides him and saw Van again. But this was not Van.  
  
"Long live the Duke!" one of the soldiers shouted, "Long live Duke Van Fanel!"  
  
Jayson was shocked to know that this man he stod next to was named Van and he was a Fanel.  
  
"Long live the fighters of the Duke Fanel!" another one shouted  
  
"Hail to the Duke!"  
  
"Hail to the Duke!"  
  
The entire army shouted in praise for this man Jayson stood next to. Then, the Van Fanel he stood next to, turned to face him.  
  
"Jayson...you are not suppose to see this..." Van said  
  
Jayson was back inside the dark room with the cloaked figure and realized something.  
  
"You live outside of time! You exist, but yet you don't exist. You re something that shouldn't exist, but does. This is something beyond scientific explaination..."  
  
"Always the practical one, Jayson." the cloaked one said, "Don't you ever believe in God? That our lives are intertwined in fate."  
  
"There is no such thing as that. It is just something so that the people can have something to live by."  
  
"Yes...but isn't that what God wants us to do. He wants us to have the freedom to believe in what we want...Destiny will call us to do the right thing so that the future can be preserved so that our kind will live on."  
  
"Will I die soon?"  
  
"That I cannot tell you...one day you will be forced to make a decision that will decide the future. We all are fated to change the world."  
  
"So what are you trying to say?" Link asked  
  
The cloaked figure turned to him,  
  
"Destiny will lead the both of you and your families to decide the fate of our race. Fate will lead our families to lead our worlds to the future. We are cursed with this fate."  
  
"A curse?"  
  
"I'm sorry...but that is all the time I have..." the figure began to disappear,  
  
"Wait!" Jayson shouted, but he was gone,  
  
"Make your own choices and that will decide the future."  
  
The vision ended and when Link awoke, Jayson was gone and his claws were untangled,  
  
"What the?"  
  
Jayson slipped out when Link was still out of it.  
  
"The future...is what we decide it will be?"  
  
Jayson saw it again and he saw his death. The sword that was meant to be, struck at him unto death.He can still hear the cloaked one's voice in his head.  
  
"Fate will guide you to change history and mark your blood line with the line of history. Use this power blessed on you and Van to make your mark on history. To forge your path. Dornkirk's path will fall...yours and Link's paths will forge the future."  
  
Jayson activated his cloak and disappears.  
  
"I need to find them."  
  
Back to the others, Van was was in his cage and then he felt something in his chest. Van fell to his knees and held his chest in pain. There was a great pain from his heart, like something was pulling it apart.  
  
"Van!" Hitomi shouted  
  
"They must be trying to dismantle Escaflowne," Allen said  
  
"No, he'll die!" Hitomi tired to reach Van's hand and tries to grab it, but as she did, she felt something and saw as Van struggled on the floor of his cage, Van's hand twitched and so did Escaflowne's hand. "That's right. Van, if you feel Escaflowne's pain, it must work the other way, too. If your wish reaches it, you should be able to control Escaflowne even if you're away from it."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'll help you. Together we should be able to do it." Hitomi reached out again  
  
"It's too dangerous! You might feel the same pain he is!"  
  
"He's right. You shouldn't feel the pain."  
  
"What're you talking about? You might die at this rate! Hurry, give your hand!"  
  
Hitomi and Van's hands touch and they held each other.  
  
Meanwhile, Dornkirk watches in his Fate Redirector while they hold hands.  
  
"What are they doing?" Dornkirk asked, but then he lost the image, "What? It's gone. I can't see it anymore!"  
  
"I'm alright. Van, imagine Escaflowne. Imagine it strongly! Respond, please."  
  
Escaflowne started to move a bit  
  
"We must focus!" Hitomi said, "Move...it must move..."  
  
Then, Escaflowne awakens and it's energist glows like a light in the darkness. Escaflowne then takes flight and the pain stopped.  
  
"Is this because of that girl's ability?" Dornkirk asked, "Is she doing this?"  
  
Escaflowne breaks through the ceiling and arrives at their cages.  
  
"Escaflowne!" Van shouted  
  
"We did it!" Hitomi shook Van's hand in delight.  
  
The three flew out.  
  
"Van, we should get out of this place first!" Allen shouted  
  
Then, they came across an enemy.  
  
"Allen, hold onto Hitomi!" Van changed Escaflowne into mech mode and attacks, "Go! I'll meet up with you on the roof!"  
  
"Van..." Hitomi looks for a moment, "Take care. Allen, let's go to the roof."  
  
The two ran as Van fights his way out. Dornkirk's vision was clear again,  
  
"I can see them this time, but why?"  
  
Allen runs into a few guards, but he was able to take them out. It was funny that they would throw them into those cages back there and still have their weapons. A guard tries to attack Hitomi, but Allen blocks the attack with his sword. A soldier came behind Allen and attacks.  
  
"Look out Allen!" Hitomi drew her sword and attacks, killing the soldier, "You alright Allen?"  
  
"Yeah...I'm fine,"  
  
"This way," Hitomi points to another direction and ran ahead.  
  
Back with Van, who was fighting the enemy melefs. He was about to be overrun, but a stream of chrima claws flew at them and shreads them into pieces. Van turns arouund and sees Jayson.  
  
"Jayson!?"  
  
"Hey, fancy meeting you in such a place!"   
  
"Yeah, fancy that." Van turns his attention back to his enemies and knocks another melef down,  
  
"We have to get out of here!"  
  
"Hitomi, and Allen are on the roof!"  
  
Hitomi and Allen managed to get to the roof. They stopped at a balcony overlooking the city.  
  
"I wonder if Van's safe." Allen said  
  
"I think he's alright, since it's Van...if anyone can do it, he can"  
  
"..."  
  
"This city looks sad for some reason. I wonder if the people of Zaibach are really happy."  
  
A group of soldiers comes out of the entrance. Allen turns to face them, drawing his sword.  
  
"Here they come. I won't let you have Hitomi, even if it means my life."  
  
"I find comfort in that, but," Hitomi drew her own sword and stood next to Allen, "I am not a weak girl that waits for a knight to save me. Don't leave me out of this."  
  
The two stood together, side by side, and readies to fight. Then, Escaflowne and Excalibur appears behind the two.  
  
"Come on! Let's go!" Van shouted.  
  
"Van!" Hitomi shouted,  
  
"Let's go!"  
  
Allen picks up Hitomi in his arms and gets on Escaflowne.  
  
"Go, go!" Allen shouted.  
  
"Watch out!" Jayson shouted as he flies behind them and shoots at an incoming melef. "Go Van! GO!"  
  
The two melefs soar as they flew higher, but they were being persuide.  
  
"They're gaining on us!" Allen shouted, "We must go faster!"  
  
"This is as fast as we can go!" Van shouted, "This isn't Jayson's melef!"  
  
Jayson flies next to Allen.  
  
"You have to believe in your melef!" Jayson said to Van in his head, "Believe and it will happen!"  
  
Van closed his eyes and concentrates.  
  
"Must go faster...Escaflowne!" Van can feel something from Escaflowne, "Escaflowne!"  
  
Then, Dornkirk lost his vision again and was blind again.  
  
Outside, Escaflowne's wings closed up and out from its sides were some kind of booster pack and Escaflowne blasted off. Jayson was then able to activate his full power and jets off to catch up.  
  
"When the Dragon and the girl get close, the vision of the future blurs. The girl from Earth is the key to solving everything."  
  
As Escaflowne flies faster and faster, it passed the Vione, and Folken saw Van. For a moment in time and space, it all stopped for a moment. Van and Folken looked at each other and saw each other's eyes. Then, time resumed and Escaflowne flies pass the fortress, followed by Jayson.  
  
Once Escaflowne reaches a safe distance, it revert's to it's normal mode. Jayson was finally able to catch up and flies next to it. Allen was holding onto Hitomi very tightly.  
  
"Uh, Allen...that hurts."  
  
"Sorry." Allen lets go."  
  
Hitomi looks out in space and thinks to herself.  
  
"The leader of the Zaibach Empire, Dornkirk...a man from the Mystic Moon. Is this the thread of our fate?"  
  
Jayson looks at the two and sees the future again. He saw what was to come...and that future was going to be harsh.   
  
"From now on until the future, our paths will be hard. We must decide for ourselves...our future."  
  
To be contunued... 


	14. LAST CHAPTER EVER

_**Vision of Escaflowne**_

Hitomi holds her pendant, which glows strangely. She stands atop Escaflowne, which drives its sword into the ground; the shockwave destroys a number of Guymelefs before it. Escaflowne chops its way through three more Guymelefs, slaughtering them with ease. Escaflowne stands in the wreckage, with Hitomi standing atop its shoulder. She held her pendent out in front of her as if it was a lantern in the darkness.

This was the vision that Dornkirk had. The vision of his destruction.

Folken was in a concil room, before the four generals of Zaibach.

"The Dragon's power is incredibly powerful and is getting more powerful by the minute! Folken, did you know of this?" Adelphos asked. Folken didn't answer, "Did you know the Dragon would be Zaibach's greatest obstacle to the unification of Gaea? Did you know that?!"

Another one of Dornkirk's vision was revealed. He saw an army of Escaflowne units marching toward Zaibach. They all looked almost like the original Escaflowne, except none of them had the particular shade of white that Escaflowne has Some were green, some were red, some were black, grey, and brown. There were so many of them, as far as the eye can see. The army of Escaflowne units shot arrays of energy at Zaibach fortresses in the air, taking them down, one at a time.

"According to His Excellency Dornkirk's Fate Predictor...a force of Dragons will invade Zaibach. And this...Escaflowne will lead it to victory."

"Indeed." Dornkirk said as his image appears before them on a screen. "As the gravity between the girl from the Mystic Moon and the Dragon increases...our own future is drawn into chaos. To prevent that future from coming to be..."

Dornkirk still sees the image of the many Escaflowne units. Escaflowne stands atop of a platform with the captial building behind it and the city itself in flames. Escaflowne raised its sword high and its army salutes Hitomi with their swords, who stood next to it, her pendent shines brightly around her neck. She had her own sword drawn, itself drenched with blood, and she was wearing some kind of light battle armor.

"...We must seperate those two dangerious elements." Dornkirk said

"Seperation won't be enough your Excellency." the Steel general said

"He's right. With our force's potential..." the Platnium general said

"It will be easy to destroy Escaflowne." the Bronze general said. "And anyone else in our way!"

"Your Excellency, please grant us permission to move out." Adelphos said

"There's no need." Link said as he walked out.

The generals looked surprised.

"Instead of stirring up the situation...I believe working a different kind of gravity upon the girl from the Mystic Moon...will be sufficient for our purposes. Beside...we don't want to break the new treaties we've just recently forged with Hyrule who is protecting the Dragon."

"Then what is this other kind of gravity you are talking about?"

"...It involves the attraction between a man and woman."

_**The Golden Rule of Love**_

"The most powerful force in the universe is not weapons of destruction. The most powerful force is something that is much more deadly. It is the power of love."

From the journels of Duke Zeon Fanel, AC 176

Location: Palas, Asturia

In a tavern, the gang again celebrates their safe journey home. Weeks have passed since then.

"Three weeks after escaping Zaibach, we finally returned to Asturia." Hitomi was writing in a journal she gotten, she looked around to see Allen sadly drinking alone, "The people of the Crusade seemed to have hoped for the same thing...and we were all able to meet again."

Van looks out at the Mystic Moon near a window. Merle sees Van all alone and walks to join him.

"Lord Van," She hugs him and then sits on the floor next to him.

The next day, the palace was busy with preparations to come. Jayson was on the roof looking at the morning sky. It was another bright day.

"Marriage?!" Hitomi asked Dryden, announcing his marriage to Millerna, "You and Millerna... are getting married..."

"Yes, she must of recongnized my virtue. Is that strange? I think being a king suits me. If we combine the might of Asturia and my economic power...Zaibach won't be able to invade. Power isn't the only factor in war. You've got to use this." Dryden points to his head.

Van shakes his head a bit at the idea, "They're not the kind of people who'll buy into such ideas."

Van's thoughts quickly went to Dornkirk, whose image he still remembers in his head.

"Their purpose is to destroy Gaea. Even if you become the King of Asturia..."

"That's pretty harsh,"

"They were engaged to begin with," Eries said as the three in the room turned to see her come in. "Its only natural for Dryden to succeed the Asturia family."

The second eldest princess walks up to Allen, "Especially to forgive you for your crimes."

"What crime?"

"Allen's betrayal of this country...and your actions against our ally, Zaibach." Hitomi was about to protest, but the princess had more to say, "Moreover, since Millerna left, Father has been ill in bed...he's dying. Because you took Millerna away."

"Sister!" Millerna enters to room, Jayson was behind her, "Enough with you petty speeches."

"Millerna," Hitomi said

Millerna walks up to Allen. Allen kneels and kisses her hand.

"Congradulations on your marriage, Princess Millerna." Allen smiled a bit, but it was hard to tell was it a sencere one or not.

Later, Millerna was checking for what kind of dress she should wear while Hitomi watches and offers opinions if she can. Hitomi was now wearing a simple blue dress. Not very helpful if she plans to run around, but she still carries her sword around.

"What do you think of this dress?" Millerna pulls out a green one, "I wonder if the one with more frills looks better on you."

"No, it's not about the dress."

Millerna stops for a moment,

"It's about the wedding right?" Hitomi could only nod to it, "It'll be alright. He's rich, smart and handsome. I'm sure Dryden will make me happy."

Hitomi then remembers the first time she met Millerna on the skyport. She was so overjoyed to see Allen.

"You're lying," This made her drop the dress she was holding and she turned to look at Hitomi, "Everyone's acting so mature! You're deceiving yourself, and getting married! Aren't you being unfair to Dryden?"

Hitomi stops for a minute and realizes what she's saying. She thinks of Allen. However, she starts talking again. "Don't give up on Allen! If you do, you'll regret it for the rest of your life!"

Hitomi pasues again and thinks of what she was doing, what she was saying.

"If Dryden and Millerna get married," she thought in her head, "Allen will...What am I thinking?"

"You're such a child,"

"I'm...I'm sorry."

"I want to ask you...can you read my future?

"The future?" Millerna walks to the window and opens it, revealing the clear blue sky.

"I don't know if this is right or not. I get confused when I look at your face."

"Millerna..."

"So I want you to use your powers...Please look to see what kind of future I have."

Hitomi was taken aback by this, she really didn't knwo what to do.

"Right now? I don't even have my cards with me," Hitomi gets up and starts to walk out, "Maybe later."

She then started to run around and out of the castle. Thankfully, her dress didn't caught and trip her. She ran as fast and as far as she can, and soon found herself on the outskirts of the city. She was on the grassy hills that overlooked the city. It was a beautiful sight, but she was too caught up in herself to notice.

"Damn it. Damn it. I'm so stupid..." She takes out her sword and then slashes a small tree. Even though the tree had to be at least six inches in diameter; after her fit, the top part of the tree slide off the bottom part. "I was relieved about Millerna's marriage...and then said something that doesn't reflect my feelings like "Don't give up." Then I ran away. How terrible."

She sheaths her sword, then proceed to walk on more. Before she knew it, she ran into Van, who right away saw the look on her.

"Something bothering you, Hitomi?" Van asked, who was carrying some things with him.

"Van,"

Back in Zaibach; Folken, Link and Dornkirk observes the two interact and sees that the future is being altered by them.

"At this rate, the Dragon and the girl from the Mystic Moon will come even closer." Doornkirk seemed to be surrendering in defeat for once, but Link smirked.

"Don't worry, my lord. The Dragon is not brave enough to cross the line."

"Cross the line?"

"Yes, haven't you been in love before...it takes a great amount of passonate feelings to tell the other of your heart...and unlike my former brother in arms, Van does know what to do with those strange feelings that seemed foriegn to him. He must be so confused."

Back in Asturia, Van led Hitomi to a windmill, where Escaclowne was kept.

"Disgusted with yourself?" Van repeats what Hitomi said about herself,

"I'm a terrible jerk...playing innocent and meddling in her matters. I'm so foolish."

Van then tosses a strange looking fruit to her. She sees Van breaking the top of it and drinking out of it. She does so, but when the first taste reached her mouth, she had a sour look on her face.

"Urg! What is this?"

"Its a piscuss. It gives you vitality, doesn't it?"

"Yuck, but it tastes so bitter and sour."

"That means it's working."

Van finishes the fruit and began to work on his guymelef, first sharpening it.

"When you look gloomy, you're drawn into misfortune. It's not like you to look so depressed."

"Is he encouraging me?" Hitmoi thought in his head. Van then stood up and walks to her.

"Hitomi...from now on, I want you to stay with me."

Upon hearing that, she drops her fruit onto the floor.

"What...what did you say?"

"I want you to be at my side...together, we can defeat Zaibach."

Right there, Hitomi was disappointed in Van's response.

"As long as we are together, Zaibach will fall..."

"Van..."

"What? What is wrong?"

"I...I..." Hitomi was getting angried by this, "You..."

Then, there was a slap. Hitomi had slapped Van, and it was with a lot of force.

"How dare you..." She storms out.

Later, she was on a bridge, and throws a rock over the water,

"Idiot...and I thought he was going to say something nice...I better stop expecting things like that from him."

Back in Zaibach, Link smiled at the outcome.

"See...nothing to worry about." He walks away, and Folken takes a step towards a large machine,

"Let's take this up a level."

In a cemetry, Allen stands before his father's grave. He had flowers on top of the grave. It was a bit windy, and some of the flowers were being blown away by it.

"Father..." Allen wanted to say so much to his dad which he hated for many years. He wished they can start over. Acceptance is the hardest thing about death."

"How unusual..." A voice from behind him said softly. Allen turned around to see Eries there. "...to see you in a place like this, since you don't pray to god."

Allen then starts to leave, but she stops him for a moment,

"About Millerna...Please restrain yourself. She's finally receiving good fortune."

"I'm...happy to hear that. If you're saying that, then it must be true. Dryden is a good man, but...if this marriage was only to fulfill his ambition to become king...I'll kill him..."

"Allen..." She was holding a bouqet of flowers of her own and sets them on Allen's mother's grave. Some blew away and Allen caught one.

"This was my mother's favorite flower. I believe the meaning of this flower is 'dear, unforgettable person.' Thank you, Princess Eries." He turns around to see she was already walking away,

Elsewhere, Jayson stands in his room and walks out to the balcony that overlooks the city. He stares at the sunset. He starts to think of when he was back in Zaibach and faced his former friend, Link.

_**Flashback**_

_**"What is it..." The pain stopped, but he still felt a presence in the room "Who's goes there?! Show yourself!"**_

_**Out of the darkness, a black melef with red tirm appeared from invisablity. It was holding a strange weapon with two sword blades at the ends of it, and folds its arms as it unfolds demonic looking skeletal bird wings which unfolds and spreads them out. The look was terrifying.**_

_**Jayson remembers the vision they both had...of the future. And of that person or whatever it was that appeared before him.**_

_**"What is this trick?" Link ask, "Who did you bring into this vision?"**_

_**"I didin't do anything..."**_

_**"The future...is set." the dark figure said**_

_**"What?" Link said**_

_**"What will happen will happen. The future is forever change because of your decision, Jayson."**_

_**"My choice?"**_

_**"Yes...the choice of life and death...for that choice, the future will be decided."**_

_**"Is that why you are here?" Jayson asked "Who are you?"**_

_**"I am someone...that doesn't exist...not yet anyway...I am the present...the past...the future...I am here...I am everywhere at once. Listen to that voice inside you and I'm there...look to the future and I'll be there..."**_

_**"So what? Are you saying you are a being that is not born yet, but then how are you able to exist in this dream vision if you do not exist."**_

_**"Oh, I exists alright...I've existed for a long time since the beginning of everything and to the end of everything...I am something that shouldn't exist, but does..."**_

_**Jayson then remembers what that man in the cloak also said,**_

_**"...one day you will be forced to make a decision that will decide the future. We all are fated to change the world. Make your own choices and they will decide the future."**_

_**End of Flashback**_

Jayson returns back to reality and looks out there. His body became extra senitive when someone touched his arm. He looked to see that it was Zelda.

"What are you thinking?" She held him close, "About the future? About the past? Or about the present?"

"I'm thinking of the now...the then and the whys of this world. How the decisions we make will change the world and affect the future."

"...Did you have another vision?"

"No, it wasn't just a vision that time. It was almost as I was there...or more as the future was brought before my eyes."

"The future is always being written. What one future can be, another one is also as likely."

Jayson continues to look out at the sunset and remembers what the cloaked vision said to him.

"One day, you will have to make a choice, and either choice will cost something dear to you, and will greatly affect the future...Choose wisely, because the future depends on you...It is the curse of our family."

"...My choice..."

In Zaibach, Folken proceeds with this plan of his. He stands before a large room, filled with strange machines. Naria and Eriya enters the room and felt a chill that sent them shivering.

"This place gives me the jitters." Naria said

"I hear you, but Lord Folken summoned us here. I wonder what he's up to?"

"Something good. I have a nice feeling about it, even though we are in this kind of place."

The two found Folken, who was walking to Link and Dornkirk. The two catwomen kneel in the present of their leader.

"The power of the Fate Redirector is still insufficient." Folken explained, "However, I believe it is possible to change the human mind, since it's weak."

"The human mind weak?"

"Yes," Link steps in, "You must remember about the power of...love, don't you, sir? We'll work this external gravity of love on that girl from the Mystic Moon to change the vector of her heart to someone other than the Dragon. And when that happen, destiny will be alter to our liking and it won't interfere with us. We'll need a sample of them for this to work more effectively, though."

"Fortunately, I've obtained some elements from them." Folken held up some pieces of hair that were found in the cell they had locked them in once. "With the Fate Redirector and these materials, I believe it can be done easily."

Folken then turns to the obedient Naria and Eriya behind them.

"I'll need one of you to assist me. Which one of you will be my partner?"

The two cats looked at each other.

"Ok Naria, no complaints this time." She takes up a coin from her pocket.

"Fine. Let's see who's luck is stronger this time!" Eriya flips the coin into the air.

Back in Palas, the once bright sunny day was now turning into a down pour. Rain came all of a sudden and covers the sky with its blankets of falling water. Hitomi had walked back to the city and was taking cover inside a building alcove. She looks down on her dress, which was all soaking wet.

"Oh man. And this was the first day I put this thing on." She shakes off some of the water on her head and hugs herself to keep warm. "It doesn't look like this is going to end soon."

There was a bolt of lightning and then thunder, which caused Hitomi to cover her ears and made her look to her right to see a couple under the cover of an umbrella and they kissed. Hitomi looked away and was embarassed at seeing that.

Not too far away, Allen was walking home from the graveyard. He had no umbrella or any kind of covering, but he walked on obilvious of the rain pouring onto him. He was dazed and walked onward, not knowing where he was going.

Back in Zaibach, Folken and the lucky winner, Eriya, were in the center of the room on a bridge.

"Thirty to activation of the Fate Accelerator."

THAT'S ALL FOLKS

RETIRED FANFICTION WRITER

I used to be a fanfiction writer. Everything that is here were posted years ago, when I was an arrogant, ignorant noob at the art of writing. I was sloppy and stupid and didn't pay any attention to anyone's "bad review". I should have listened to the voices telling me to get better instead of just moving along and writing polised shit that could be gold. Every one of my stories had great potential, but I tossed it all away for stupid young pride. I have lost my taste and time to write anymore. Anything I might still have conjured up I'll post for the sake of them being there, unmoddified. They will be the last things I would ever post here.

It is doubtful if I'll ever write a fanfic ever again or even finish some of the stories here. Looking back, there is so many mistakes, so many bad puns, cliches, cop-offs, that it would be impossible for me to simply edit the stories. I'd need to write everything from scratch, new plots, better story, but I can't. I've lost my ambition for fanfics.

What I have here in is a testament of the resolve I had for some good ideas that I made up in my spare time during my teen years. The years when I shoulda learned how to write better.

With that, I will see what I had left to post, post them for anyone to read with the same testament you read here in my profile. Anything I post will just be unfinished works. I doubt anyone would remember but they are there and maybe just MAYBE i'll pick this up again. But I'll most likely never again do fanfics.

To the readers of my fics, thanks for reading if you are reading this.

To the people who told me so. Yeah, thanks for helping me out

It was a wonderful experience to create a universe of my own in words, but like all dreams, it had to end


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